Still Fighting It
by asyouwish76
Summary: Hermione Granger is a reporter at the Daily Prophet when she gets a dangerous promotion to secretly investigate the new evil in town. Draco Malfoy is assigned as her "bodyguard". Can she really trust him? Danger, intrigue, and romance ensue.
1. You've Gotta Be Kidding Me

I've completely revamped this chapter. When I was reading over it, I realized how out of character they all were. Plus my writing has changed a lot since I originally wrote this, and there were some inconsistencies that needed to be addressed. I think it's a lot better now. Let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: Unfortunately all rights belong to JK Rowling, I wish I could've imagined something as brilliant as her. Plot is mine, but that's it.

Still Fighting It

A young woman sat at a mahogany desk in a small but comfortable office, staring unseeingly at the papers in front of her. She bit her nails in worry, a habit she picked up as a teenager. Her boss at The Daily Prophet sent her a memo earlier stating that they "needed to talk." These words rarely brought good news. Every few minutes she would glance at the clock, and then go back to biting her nails in anticipation, unable to concentrate on work. Suddenly a knock sounded.

"Come in." She said, trying to keep her voice from sounding too nervous.

"Hey Hermione." Harry Potter, her best friend, greeted as he walked in.

"Oh, Harry it's only you" She muttered dejectedly.

"Nice to see you too," he said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, it's _always_ nice to see you, but I was rather hoping you were my boss. She said she wanted to meet with me and I've been driving myself mad with worry," she explained. Hermione was always glad when her friends visited her at work, but the black haired man couldn't have picked a worse time.

"I'm sure it will be fine, if anything she's probably coming to tell you about another promotion you got," He stated, chuckling. "Anyway, I just stopped by to make sure you were still coming over for dinner tonight."

"Of course I am. Although if I get fired for some reason, you better make sure you have a lot of liquor. And, Harry, you could have just flooed you know?" She said, distractedly straightening the papers on her desk for the umpteenth time.

"They would be crazy to fire you. Besides, you've never failed at anything in your life, no reason to start worrying about it now. And I know I could have flooed, but I was on my lunch break, and I just wanted to speak to someone who wasn't so…emotional. You know I love Ginny, and I'm incredibly happy with her, but one minute she's laughing, the next she's crying, then she's yelling, and then back to laughing. I just can't keep up!" Harry exclaimed.

"Harry, she's pregnant! What do you expect?" Hermione reproached, raising an eyebrow.

He smiled sheepishly and said, "I know, and I'm thrilled, really I am. I just didn't think she would be so…angry all the time."

Hermione rolled her eyes at her best friend. "She's eight months pregnant! And besides if there's anyone to blame, it's you. I think you would react in much the same way if you puked your guts out every day, couldn't even see your feet anymore, your back hurt constantly, you could barely stand up, and on top of all that you have to worry about pushing this huge thing out of your—"

"Miss Granger?"

Hermione, with a face as red as a cherry, peered around Harry and to her horror, saw her boss: Lila Mahan

"H-hello Lila, how are you?" Hermione asked politely, struggling to keep her voice level. She prayed that her face wasn't as red as she thought and that Lila hadn't overheard the entire conversation.

"I'm fine Hermione, and yourself? I'm sorry if I came at a bad time." She said, glancing at Harry.

"Oh no, it's fine, Harry was just about to leave. Weren't you Harry?" She stated, daring him to say no.

"Oh, er yes, I was…I have to get back to work. See you later Mione. Er…nice to meet you" He mumbled, walking out the door.

"Yes, you too," Lila replied, as he walked by, shutting the door behind him, "Hermione I have some news."

"Yes?" She said, not bothering to keep the anxiety out of her voice.

"I trust you've heard about what happened to poor Emma. Such a shame, she was so young and such a talented writer." Lila said, genuine sadness coloring her voice.

Hermione nodded solemnly, thinking about the poor young girl. She was only a year younger than herself. Her body was found a couple of days ago, with the dark mark seared onto her arm. The work of Death Eaters of course, for although Voldemort was dead, they were stronger than ever and worse no one knew who the leader was. Hermione couldn't figure out why they would target Emma, but the whole office felt the loss.

"Did you know what column she wrote?"

"Er…gossip I believe." Hermione replied, wondering why that was relevant.

"Yes, but she also wrote another in secret." Lila said meaningfully.

"Are you saying that she was the one that uncovered all of the death eater stories?" Hermione asked, shocked. She never would have suspected.

"Unfortunately yes," Lila replied.

Hermione knew Emma was intelligent, and always thought she would have been better suited to something more serious than gossip, but she would have never guessed that she was the author of the Death Eater articles. Emma was such a sweet girl, Hermione shouldn't have found it surprising that she would put herself in danger like that to protect others. She must have uncovered something that they didn't want her to know. Her death suddenly made sense.

"So, that's why they killed her." Hermione said, thinking aloud.

"Yes, we can only guess that the Death Eaters discovered her involvement with the column. But that's not what I need to speak with you about. As you know, the reports of Death Eater activity are extremely important, and with Emma gone, we have to find a replacement. I have thought deeply about this and feel that you would be the best for the job. It's extremely dangerous, and you have every right to turn it down, but please think about it and let me know as soon as possible."

Hermione quickly weighed her options. She could say no and continue to write her political column without any extra danger, but how could she live with herself knowing that she wasn't doing everything she could to protect the world she fought so hard to save. When it came down to it, there was only one choice.

"I'll do it," she said determinedly, "This has to be stopped,"

"Hermione please don't rush into this." Lila reasoned.

"In what world did you expect me to say no?" She asked lightly, trying to lighten the mood.

Lila chuckled, and sat down.

"Then I suppose we should discuss the details," she said. "We are taking extra precautions with you. I've spoken with the Head Auror and after weighing the pros and cons we've decided to assign you with some extra protection, or in other words, a bodyguard. It may make you more transparent to the Death Eaters, but ultimately you will be safer. We will of course release false information as to why you've hired a bodyguard to throw them off track. Lastly, we will continue to use Emma's pseudonym, and you will need to continue your political column so as not to raise suspicion."

"Thank you for the extra precaution, but I don't feel that a bodyguard will be necessary, in fact I think they may get in the way," Hermione said courteously. She worked best on her own, and didn't want someone getting in the way of finding the truth.

"I'm afraid the bodyguard is non negotiable," Lila said firmly. Hermione looked at the resolute expression on her boss's face and decided not to argue. She had learned from her long friendship with Ron to pick her battles, and this didn't appear to be one she would win.

"Alright," she said placidly, "then I will agree to your terms."

Lila smiled, but there was a sadness behind it that could only come from knowing the magnitude of what she was asking.

"If I'm honest, I was fairly confident that you would accept the position, and have asked your bodyguard to be here today. Are you ready to meet him?" she asked, going to the door.

"They're here right now?" she asked, surprised.

"I wanted you to meet him right away." She said, motioning to someone outside. "Draco, you can come in now."

"Draco? Please don't tell me it's—Malfoy?!" she exclaimed, shock covering her face as the familiar blond man stepped into her office.

"Miss me Granger?" He asked, smirking that ever-present smirk. One look at him and all the hatred from their school days came rushing back.

"I see you're still as arrogant as ever." She said icily, glaring at him.

"And you still have a stick up your arse," He replied, glaring in return.

"Grow up Malfoy!"

"Grow up?! That's rich coming from you, miss I-know-everything-and-am-so-much-better-than-you-b ecause-of-it."

"So, I see you two know each other already." Lila said, interrupting them before it could get any worse.

"Unfortunately. Er…Lila, could I have a word with you?" Hermione asked going over to a corner. There was no way she would work with him. Even though his name had been cleared after the war, in large part due to Harry's testimony, she didn't trust him as far as she could throw him. Did she think he was a death eater? No, but that didn't mean that she trusted him with her life. He had always been one for self-preservation.

After hearing "can't work with", "insufferable git", and "slimy ferret", Draco decided to interrupt.

"It's not as if I woke up today and thought 'Gee, it would be such a treat if I got to work with Granger', trust me, I was forced" He interrupted, rolling his eyes.

"I don't believe I was talking to you, Malfoy."

"Hermione, Draco is one of the best Aurors they have, if anyone can keep you safe, it's him." She stated. "I'm only trying to prevent what happened to Emma from happening to you, but if you really don't think you can work with him then I will be forced to find someone else to fill this position."

Hermione looked at her boss. This was why Lila was in charge, she could make the tough decisions and stick to them. She was guilting her into working with Malfoy, and worst of all, it was working. She would stop arguing for now, but that didn't mean that she would accept the situation.

"I'm sorry. You're right, Lila. My behavior was childish and immature, and I apologize. It's just…I'm wondering why Harry couldn't do it? He's the best Auror they have, and we're already together a lot, so it wouldn't seem out of the ordinary."

"We did consider that, but this is a full time job. You need someone who will be able to be with you around the clock, and Harry won't be able to do that, what with his family and all. It's quite apparent that you and Mr. Malfoy have some sort of…history, but he _will_ be able to keep you safe, and that is what's most important." She replied, looking at Hermione pointedly, as if daring her to argue.

"I understand, you're right of course," Hermione said politely. Inside, she was screaming at the woman.

"Now, I spoke with the head of Aurors and he said there were some precautionary measures we should take in keeping your flat secure. I'm assuming you know what I'm talking about Draco?"

"Yes maam." He replied politely.

"Good, I would like you two to go do that right now. And please, for Merlin's sake, _try_ to get along." She said, leaving them alone.

"Well you heard what she said Granger, get going." He said, smirking.

Rolling her eyes and sighing exasperatedly she stomped out of the small office with Draco following closely behind. She didn't say a word to him until they were a block away from the office.

"I can't believe I have to trust _you _to keep me safe, you'll probably kill me the first chance you get and blame it on the death eaters." She muttered.

"Granger Granger Granger, why would I do that? If you died, that would make me look bad. Everyone would think I couldn't do my job properly." He said lightly, as if the thought of her death was funny.

"I don't see why I even need a 'bodyguard.' I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I did help bring down Voldemort you know."

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to bring that up," he said, rolling his eyes, "If you don't want my help, then fine, I won't feel one bit of guilt when you get killed,"

"You're such a…such a—ugh!" She exclaimed stomping off. Draco followed smirking, thinking how easy it was to provoke her.

"It's…quaint" Draco said, as he took in her flat. Hermione rolled her eyes and observed her living space. Bookcases lined the walls, filled with books of all genres. The walls were painted a light green. A couch, loveseat, and television filled the small living room. The kitchen was attached, with a small table. Down the hall was the bedroom, office, and bathroom. Hermione loved her flat. It may not be as fancy as Malfoy's mansion, but she was quite proud of it. It was something that was all her own.

"I'm sorry if it's not up to your usual standard of accommodations, but you'll just have to make do." Hermione stated defensively.

"This whole flat is about the size of my bedroom at the manor." He said flatly.

"Well we don't all live in mansions, Malfoy. Besides, I don't even want you here. You can follow me around during the day all you want, but I don't need you here, in my home at all hours of the night. I made it through the war perfectly fine, and if anything does happen I am more than capable of handling myself. In fact, I would probably be safer by myself than with you here." She said.

He narrowed his eyes. He was starting to get tired of her quips about him killing her. He was an Auror for Merlin's sake; did she really think he would murder her in her sleep?

"Let's get one thing straight. I don't want to be here anymore than you want me here, but this is the situation we're in. I've been tasked with keeping you safe, and I'll be damned if something happens because I wasn't here. Personally, I don't care all that much, but my job depends on it. We both know that if anything were to happen to you, I would be sacked in a heartbeat." He explained heatedly.

They glared at each other. Hermione thought over what Malfoy said and begrudgingly admitted that he had a point. If anything happened to her, the blame would be put sorely on him, whether or not he actually had anything to do with it. She backed away. She would let him have this one. Just this once.

Sighing, she asked "So what exactly is it that you're supposed to be doing?"

"I was planning on putting up some protective wards, but it seems as if this place is already extremely heavily warded. You always were an over achiever," He said, rolling his eyes once more.

"Well then it looks like there's nothing for you to do. So I think it's time for you to go now. I have someplace to be, and you need to leave."

"In case you forgot Granger, I'm your bodyguard, and that means that I'm supposed to be guarding your body at all times. Tell me, how am I supposed to do that if I'm not with you?"

"Just sod off Malfoy, you and I both know that you don't want to be 'guarding my body' anymore than I want you to. Besides, I haven't even written anything yet, so I'm confident that I'll be safe for one night," She stated exasperatedly.

"Fine, but if you get killed tonight because I wasn't there, then just know it's your own fault."

"Fine!" she shouted, apparating to Harry's.

"Please tell me you have that liquor I asked for?" she asked hopefully, as soon as she appeared in Grimmauld Place.

"YOU GOT FIRED?!" Harry shouted, disbelief coloring his face. He summoned a bottle of wine and glasses.

"No, I wasn't fired, but it's…worse." She said, taking the glass of wine he handed her and drinking it all in one go. She held out the glass for another. Harry and Ginny looked at her in shock, they rarely saw her drink.

"How could it possibly be wor—" Ginny started to say before she was interrupted.

"I have to work with Draco Malfoy." She blurted out, thinking it would be better this way.

"You're funny Mione, but seriously don't joke about Malfoy." Ginny said.

"I'm not joking, and it gets worse."

"Worse how?"

"Well…you know how I was nervous because my boss wanted to talk to me about something today? Ends up she offered me a promotion of sort, but it's very dangerous, so they assigned an Auror to basically be my bodyguard, which means he has to be with me at pretty much all times." She winced, waiting for the outburst, but it never came. Harry and Ginny stared at her, surprised. Harry knew how rare it was to assign an Auror as a bodyguard so he knew the level of danger she had been put in.

"You know, I work with him quite often, and he's really not as bad as he used to be." Harry said consolingly, "I'm not saying we're suddenly the best of friends, but he's a good Auror."

"I know he is Harry, but you're not the one who practically has to live with him," she exclaimed, sipping on her wine. She knew she was letting her irritation and memories or schoolyard bullying rule her emotions, but she couldn't seem to think clearly when it came to him.

"Have you told Ron yet?" the red head asked nervously. They knew he would never want any harm to come to Hermione, but he had a famously bad temper, especially when it came to Malfoy.

Hermione was dreading telling Ron. He had always hated Malfoy more than she or Harry did. With his temper she had no idea how he would react.

"No, I was hoping that maybe you two could tell him with me to soften the blow." She replied.

"Of course we will Mione. The sooner we tell him the better, you know how he hates being the last to know," Harry said.

"Yes, I was thinking we could go out to lunch tomorrow. Maybe if we're in public he won't make as big of a scene. Probably not, but it's worth a shot." Hermione suggested.

"We'll be there," Ginny promised.

"I just hope we catch the Death Eaters soon so I can escape that ferret," She said miserably, pouring her third glass of wine. She didn't drink often, but when she did, she meant business.

"Oh Mione." Ginny said, hugging her. "Don't worry it'll be alright, Harry and I will come by as much as possible."

"Oh no Gin, I don't want you two going out of your way to help me, not with the baby and everything."

"We won't be going out of our way at all, you're our friend, and besides it'll be fun grossing Malfoy out with all of the baby talk. I can tell him about labor and everything!"

"You're vicious Gin, but thanks. Both of you, what would I do without such great friends?"

"Oh Mione, you would still have great friends, they would just be in the form of books," Harry teased.

"Thanks Harry that makes me feel loads better." She muttered sarcastically.

"Anything to help." He grinned.

They spent the rest of the night catching up, teasing each other, and avoiding any mention of Malfoy or work. Hermione thought it ended up being one of the best dinners they had in a while, but that could also be since she was quite trashed by the end of it. Harry helped her home, not relishing the hangover she would likely have in the morning.

She climbed in to bed and fell asleep quickly, momentarily forgetting all about Malfoy and Death Eaters, but it would soon come rushing back. -


	2. A Fun Filled Day

Here is the rewrite of chapter 2. There is a completely new scene, so make sure to check it out! Don't forget to review!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. I wish I did though.

**Still Fighting It: Chapter 2**

Hermione Granger woke up with a splitting headache. Even the light from her alarm clock was too bright. '_5 am…why the bloody hell am I awake? And why in the name of Merlin did I drink so much last night?! Ah, yes, my wonderful bodyguard.'_With that last thought she remembered what woke her in the first place. It wasn't her splitting headache, nor was it her dread of having to spend almost every moment of her day with Malfoy. It was a sound in the kitchen. Listening closely, she now heard muffled footsteps coming down the hall toward her bedroom. Silently, she grabbed her wand from her nightstand and pretended to be asleep. A moment later she heard her door being softly opened. Peering through slits in her eyes, she could see feet approaching her bed. Once they got closer, she fired a stunning spell.

Silence…

And then…

"Well at least you aren't _completely_ useless."

"Malfoy," she growled. "What in the name of Merlin do you think you're doing, sneaking in here like that? I thought you were a death eater. You're just lucky my stunner missed you, otherwise I would have let you lie there all day. Now get out, it's way too early and I'm too tired to deal with you and your idiocy."

"More like you're too hung over…"

"For your information, I am not hung over. Yesterday was just a long day."

"Don't bother lying. The first thing I did when I found out I'd have to work with you was go out and get thoroughly sloshed and shag a beautiful witch. I'm sure you did the same. Without the shagging of course, because let's face it, who would want to shag a bushy haired know it all like you?"

"GET OUT!"

"Fine I'll go, it's not like I want to be here anyway," he said, walking toward the door. Almost to the door, he turned around and said, "By the way Granger, if I _were_ a death eater you would have been dead before I even reached the bed." And with that, he walked out.

Hermione laid back down, trying to clear her mind. Unfortunately it wasn't working. _'Who does he think he is…speaking to me in that patronizing way? I know how to take care of myself. I'm freakin Harry Potter's best friend. I lived through Voldemort, hell, I helped take him down. He has no right to talk to me that way. And the only reason he knows so much about death eaters is because he practically was one. Merlin, I can't stand him. And now thanks to that…that Ferret, I can't get back to sleep.'_ Angrily she got out of bed, threw her robe on, and stormed out to the kitchen. Getting the eggs out of the refrigerator, she began to prepare her breakfast, when she heard a voice behind her.

"You know Granger, it's considered good manners to offer your guest something to eat as well."

"You're right. It is. But seeing as you barged in here without my knowledge or consent, you are considered an intruder, not a guest, so therefore I don't have to offer you anything." She said, sweetly.

"Like I would eat anything you cooked anyway, you might try to poison me."

"Is that all I have to do to get rid of you? Here, have some eggs."

"No thanks, and you probably shouldn't have any either, you're lookin a little thick these days," he said, pointing to her nonexistent fat.

"Ouch, that really hurt Malfoy. I think I'll just go in my room and cry for a few days. Seriously, where do you come up with such witty remarks? Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to eat my breakfast in peace."

"Granger, Granger, Granger. Is that any way to talk to the one thing standing between you and certain death? Tsk Tsk."

"Psh, I am perfectly capable of defending myself."

"Oh yea, I could see that quite clearly earlier."

"I knew it was you. You are one of the only people who know how to get past my enchantments, if it was someone trying to harm me, the alarm would have gone off." This, of course, wasn't true. She had no idea who it was, and was actually quite frightened. Although if she had been more awake and less hungover, she may have actually come to that conclusion. Not that she'd ever admit that of course.

"Do you really expect me to believe that? You already told me you thought I was a death eater."

"Ugh! Malfoy, just….just go away. I have to get ready." She exclaimed angrily.

"Granger, I think there's something you do not understand, so let me spell it out to you. My job, as much as I don't want to do it, is to protect you. Now tell me, how am I supposed to do that if I'm not around?"

"And I think that there's something that you do not understand. I have not written anything yet, therefore, I am not in any danger."

"You've been in danger since the moment you accepted the column," he said seriously.

"And how is that? No one knows except you and Lila. And Harry, Ginny and Ro-" Her face paled. "Oh no, I completely forgot that I have to tell Ron today. He is going to flip out."

"Who cares what the weasel has to say anyway?"

"Listen Malfoy, you need to let me tell him by myself. I don't care if you stand across the street or something; you just have to give me half an hour to tell him." She said, completely disregarding his last comment.

"And why would I do that?"

"Because if you don't, I'll let them attack you, and even though Harry says he's fine with the situation, I know he's dying to hex you. And you know about Ron's temper."

"Do you really think they scare me?"

"Well maybe I'll ask Ginny and George to come along as well. You remember the train ride home from fourth year, don't you?" She asked, mischievously.

With a somewhat pained expression on his face, he grudgingly agreed. "Half an hour," That train ride was not one of his fondest memories, and he didn't wish to relive it.

"Normally I would say thank you, but seeing as your ego doesn't need to be any bigger, I won't. Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to go get ready." She said, walking toward her bedroom.

Unfortunately since her back was turned, she didn't see the evil smirk on his face.

After another hour of bickering and taunting, they finally made it to The Daily Prophet headquarters. They got quite a few looks while walking in, since they had trouble containing their voices. They finally made it to Hermione's office, and were surprised to see Lila there.

Stopping herself mid-insult, Hermione said, "Good morning Lila."

"Hermione. Draco," She said nodding her head to each.

"Can I help you with something?" Hermione asked politely.

"I just wanted to come by and see how it was working out." She said, with a somewhat mischievous look in her eyes.

"Oh."

"And since I've seen what I expected to, I want to tell you, that I'm ordering you to take the day off, in order to get to know each other better."

"Oh, Lila, that's really not necessary." At least if she was at work she would have something to focus on other than hating Malfoy.

"For once, Granger, I agree with you" Malfoy interjected.

"Well unfortunately for you, I believe that it is necessary. Now if there's nothing else to be said, I think I'll be going."

"Actually Lila, I did have one question. Yesterday you mentioned putting out a false story about my needing a bodyguard so as to throw the Death Eaters off my trail?"

"We've got that covered. We're going to run a story in the next issue, about how your flat got broken into, and you felt you needed some extra protection."

"Lila, if my flat had been broken into, I wouldn't hire a bodyguard." She said.

"No, you wouldn't _want_ to, but you probably would. I'm sure Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley would make sure of that."

She couldn't fight her on that. They would make sure she had some extra protection. Although she highly doubted they would leave it up to Malfoy to protect her, and she wasn't sure if they would go so far as insisting on a bodyguard, but that excuse would have to work.

"Is that all?" Lila asked.

"Yes"

"Well then, I'll see you tomorrow. Have fun you two," She said as she walked out.

"Thanks a lot Malfoy. If you could just for once behave like a civilized human being, I would be able to work right now, instead of having to spend all day with _you_." She exclaimed.

"Right, because spending every waking moment with you is all that I hoped and wished for," He quipped sarcastically.

"Alright, I get it. Neither of us is exactly happy with the situation, so let's just speak to each other as little as possible." She said, she really didn't have the energy to argue all day.

"Fine by me."

"We have three hours to kill before lunch with Harry, Ginny, and Ron, I want to go to Emma's flat and see if she left any notes behind. Most of the information in her articles was pretty useless seeing as there was no mention of specific people or accusations, so she must have stumbled upon something. That's the only reason I can think they would have for killing her. After that, I have some errands to run in Diagon Alley, so I guess you'll have to come with me for both."

Seconds later they apparated outside of Emma's apartment building. They made their way up to the third floor, and stood in front of the door. Hermione remembered coming to a party here once. It was Emma's last birthday. Hermione felt a pang of sadness, but pushed it aside and whispered "Alohamora". She turned the knob and the door easily opened. Before she could enter, Malfoy grabbed her arm.

"Let me check for dark magic first," He muttered a few words and his wand let off a green glow, signifying it was safe.

They entered the small flat. It didn't look any different. Everything was clean and where it was supposed to be. It looked as if Emma had only gone to work for the day, there were dishes in the strainer, shoes by the door, a book left open on the coffee table. No one could guess that a murder had taken place here. Hermione wondered how long it would be before someone came to collect Emma's belongings.

"I always knew you were secretly a rebel," Malfoy suddenly stated.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked as she leafed through the papers on the table. There was nothing about Death Eaters.

"You do know that you just broke into a dead girls home, right?" He asked, dryly.

She stopped and looked at him. "It's not like I'm here to steal her belongings, I only want to know why she was killed. I'm not doing anything wrong." She said, trying to convince herself as well as him.

She picked up what looked like a journal from the table. Attached to the first page were newspaper clippings of all the current death eater stories, as well as a few dating back to before the war. The first few pages were the outlines of the articles that Emma had written. After that several pages were missing, obviously torn out. Hermione flipped through the pages and a letter fell out. It was a warning from the Death Eaters telling Emma to stop writing if she wanted to live. Hermione put the journal and the letter in her purse, she would look them over more thoroughly later. She made a quick, but thorough perusal of the rest of the apartment, and then they left. She was disappointed that she didn't find more to work with. She assumed the Death Eaters found and destroyed any evidence there may have been. Draco, too, was disappointed that they hadn't found more. He hadn't really expected them to, but this Death Eater activity was starting to get worrisome, and they didn't have very many leads.

They made their way to Diagon Alley in silence. As soon as they got there Hermione made a beeline for Flourish & Blotts. Draco rolled his eyes as if to say 'of course' and slowly followed. Stepping into the pleasantly cool building he instantly spotted a familiar face.

"Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger taking a stroll together through Diagon Alley, well isn't that a sight to see,"

"Sod off Zabini," Draco growled. He didn't need Blaise's teasing right now.

"Is that really the proper way to greet your best friend?" The handsome Italian asked jokingly.

"When said best friend is an annoying git, then yes it is the proper greeting," he replied.

At this point Hermione realized that Draco was no longer by her side annoying her. Happy he was gone, but curious about where he got to, she glanced around and saw him talking to a man. A very handsome man with sun kissed tan skin, brown hair that begs for fingers to be run through it, and eyes the color of dark chocolate. Looking at him, Hermione thought of what Ginny would say if she saw him and only one word sprang to mind; yum. As she moved closer she recognized him as Blaise Zabini, a classmate from Hogwarts. She never knew him in school, but she had heard of his reputation as a ladies man.

"My my Granger, look at you. No longer the fuzzy headed bookworm, are we?" Blaise said, looking her up and down and ignoring Draco's last remark.

"Er no, I suppose not" She hesitantly responded, unsure how this conversation would turn out.

"Don't worry, it's a compliment. I have no intention of starting a row with such a stunning woman." He flashed her a smile and showed off a set of pearly white teeth.

"Well then thanks Zabini" She said, thinking _'Well, he doesn't waste a minute, does he?'_

"Please, call me Blaise."

"Zabini, cut it out. She's not going to fall for you and your 'I'm oh so charming' act." Draco said irritably.

"But I am, as you say 'oh so charming" He said winking.

"Be that as it may Blaise, I do know of your scandalous reputation, and would never fall for it," Hermione interjected.

"Oh Hermione dear, I have far too much respect for you to even think of it"

Laughingly she responded, "Thank Merlin for that!"

"Although if you were to change your mind, that would be fine by me. I really must ask though, what are the two of you doing here? Together?"

"Work," Draco replied tensely.

"How could spending the day with a beautiful woman constitute as work?"

"Oh Blaise, you really are the charmer," Hermione said smiling. "It's a long story, but basically what happened is that my flat was broken into and my family and friends are convinced that I need protection what with the recent death eater activity, even though I am perfectly capable of looking out for myself. Harry couldn't do it, so I got stuck with Malfoy."

"More like I got stuck with a prissy know-it-all," Draco interrupted.

"Oh, I was hoping for something juicier, a secret affair perhaps, or possibly a baby resulting from a night of drunken passionate sex, or maybe an accidental marriage that can't be annulled for a year. This is just so dull in comparison," Blaise exclaimed, feigning disappointment.

"All of those scenarios make me want to gag. Seriously, Zabini, sod off," Draco stated, scowling.

"Well I must be off, and not because you want me gone Draco. You know, I've got places to be, things to see, and people to do. It was lovely seeing you Hermione." He said, kissing her hand, like the gentleman he pretended to be. "Later, Draco."

"Bye Blaise" Hermione shouted as he walked away. "He's interesting."

"I think annoying is the word you're looking for."

"I thought you two were friends?"

"We are. Doesn't mean I can't find him annoying" He shrugged.

"You sure have an odd way of treating your friends," she exclaimed, confused at the blond man in front of her.

"Maybe you're the one who treats their friends oddly. I mean seriously, what's with the niceness and the…hugs?" He said disgustedly. He couldn't imagine hugging Blaise.

"It's called affection, Malfoy. But you wouldn't know what that was if it hit you over the head with it."

"Affection hitting me over the head would be a little counter productive, don't you think?" he asked, smartly.

"You're infuriating, you know that?" She cried, stomping away to find the books she needed.

"Not as much as you, trust me" He muttered, sullenly following.

After two more hours of bickering, glaring, and several uncomfortable silences they finally finished all of Hermione's errands. It was time to meet Ron, Ginny, and Harry for lunch. Hermione was getting more and more anxious as the time crept closer. This delighted Draco because it was even easier to irritate her than before.

"We're meeting at Florean Fortescues, you can wait for me at The Leaky Cauldron. It shouldn't take too long. Wait for me to come find you. You promised you wouldn't interfere." She reminded him. She was nervous enough as it was and didn't need to worry about him appearing and ruining everything.

"I won't. I'm not going to miss my opportunity to get away from your grating voice."

She walked away, deciding not to dignify that with a response. Finding a nice table in the sun, she relaxed in her precious moments of peace and quiet. She knew these moments wouldn't come easy anymore. Opening her eyes she spotted two redheads and a man with strikingly green eyes making their way towards her.

"Hey, Mione" They said, each of them giving her a hug, Ron's lingering a second longer than the others. They weren't a couple anymore, they both decided that they worked better as friends, but their relationship was still a bit deeper than the others. They still fought like they always did, but there wasn't that same tension to their relationship anymore.

"What was it you wanted to talk to me about?" Ron asked after everyone had ordered.

"Oh. Well, er…you see, the thing is, I have some, uh news that you won't be too pleased with."

"Mione, what is it?" Ron asked worriedly, "You know you can te—"

"Did you tell him yet?" Draco asked, sitting next to her.

She turned to him shocked. She should have known he would do something like this, "I told you to wait for me at The Leaky Cauldron!"

"I got bored. Although it might've been better than being here with you lot."

"Hermione, what is he doing here? Oh dear Lord, please tell me you're not _dating_ him?!" He looked as if this was his worst fear.

"What?! No! Of course not!" She spluttered. Everything she had planned on say suddenly left her mind.

"Thank goodness! But why in the name of Merlin is he here then?"

"Well that's what I wanted to tell you. We're going to be working together…closely."

"How close? And last I checked you were a reporter and the ferret was an Auror. How he ever got in that department is a mystery to everyone," Ron stated, glaring at Malfoy.

"I got a promotion. The thing is it's quite dangerous, so Malfoy is going to be my er… bodyguard."

"Bodyguard?! But he'd try to kill you before ever protecting you! How are you so calm about this?" He asked heatedly, turning to Harry and Ginny.

"We found out yesterday" Ginny said quietly, knowing how much her brother hated being the last to know, but it would worse to lie to him.

"Then why are you here?"

"We just thought it'd be better if we were all here to…talk about it"

"To keep me from losing my temper you mean. I can be calm!" He shouted.

"Clearly" Draco retorted. "That's almost as true as if you were to say you could be rich."

Ron's ears were turning red at that comment. Hermione decided to step in before he got any angrier. If only Malfoy would just leave, she would have everything under control.

"Ron just listen, Malfoy is the only person available, and as much as I know I can take care of myself, my boss insists on my having a bodyguard. She said that it's either him or she'll find someone else for the promotion."

" Then don't take the job. Hermione, anyone other than him would be better. You can't trust him, you know who his father is. He's probably still a death eater, hell, he's probably the leader, and Malfoy jr. here is his right hand man."

"If you're done speaking about me as if I wasn't here I'll have you know that I'm the best auror the ministry has –"

"Ahem, second best" Harry muttered.

"_The _best, and I wouldn't jeopardize my career over your little girlfriend, so give it a rest. And you'd do well to remember that I have paid my dues, and been cleared of all charges. Another snide remark against me or my family and I'll hex you before you can even say 'galleon'. As in 'I wish I had even one galleon to my name'"

Ron lunged himself at Malfoy, ready to fight. Luckily, or unluckily depending on your viewpoint, Harry sensed this coming and blocked him before he could do any damage. Keeping him away from Malfoy he said, "Ron, that's enough. Just ignore him, he's only trying to provoke you. How about you take some time to take in these recent developments and you can contact Hermione when you've calmed down?"

"Fine!" He said, angrily disapparating.

"Well, that went swimmingly," Ginny commented, breaking the awkward silence that had settled over everyone. "Swimmingly indeed"


	3. Furious

Enjoy! Review!

**Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Harry Potter. If I were, I would probably not be writing fanfiction.**

Chapter 3: Furious

Hermione was livid. She wanted to throttle Malfoy. It's not as though she expected Ron to take the news particularly well, but Malfoy being there just made it worse. Her eyes hadn't yet moved from the spot where Ron disapparated. She was furious. Furious at Ron for not being able to control his temper. Furious at Lila and the ministry for sticking her with Malfoy. Furious at the Death Eaters for being the evil bastards they are. But most of all she was furious at Draco Malfoy. Snapping her eyes to the focal point of her fury she grew even more enraged to see him smirking at her. Suddenly standing up, she grabbed her glass of water off the table and threw it right into the smirking bastards face.

"I told you to give me half an hour! Is that so much to ask for?" She exclaimed.

Draco slowly wiped the water off of his face and glared at her. Ginny and Harry braced themselves for the explosion that was bound to come. He opened his mouth to make some snide remark, but was cut off by Hermione telling him she was going to straight to Lila to have him replaced. She was gone before he had a chance to get a word in edgewise.

Hermione apparated straight to Lila's office at the Daily Prophet. After knocking quite insistently, she was quickly ushered in.

"Hermione, whatever can I do for you? Did something happen?" Lila asked worriedly.

"I can't do it Lila. I'm sorry, but I just cannot work with him. He's selfish, egotistical, rude, and outright annoying," Hermione raged. "Tell the ministry to find me someone else, or better yet tell them I don't need anyone at all. My flat has every protection ward available, short of a fidelius charm. It's safe. And even if someone were to get in, I am a skilled dueler. I can protect myself."

"Miss Granger, you should do well to remember that I am your boss, and you should speak to me as such. Mr. Malfoy is the best protection we can offer you, and I will not allow you to work on this story without Auror protection. I'm sorry, but if you still feel that you are unable to work with him, then I will find someone else to report on all Death Eater activity. The choice is yours." Lila stated firmly.

It was moments like these that reminded Hermione of why Lila was considered a formidable person to work under. She didn't want Lila to view her as a petulant child, and even she could see that she was acting like one right now. There was something about Malfoy that brought out the worst in her. She was embarrassed of her anger fueled behavior. She didn't want to work with Malfoy, but she couldn't turn down an opportunity like this. She knew she was the best person for the job, and she wasn't going to let Malfoy stand in the way. Swallowing her pride, she apologized to Lila for her behavior and told her she would find a way to work with Malfoy.

"I'm glad that's settled. I know Mr. Malfoy isn't your cup of tea, but these Death Eaters are ruthless, and I would hate for you to be harmed," Lila said, concern etching her voice.

"I understand. Thank you for your concern."

"Go enjoy the rest of your day off Hermione. Once you start working on the stories things will be stressful, take a break while you can."

"Of course. I'll see you tomorrow, then." Hermione said, slowly turning and leaving the office. Apparating back to her flat, she was pleased to find it empty. She had half expected to find Malfoy there. Deciding to deal with him tomorrow, she walked over to her desk and began a letter to Ron.

Ron,

I would like to apologize for what happened earlier this afternoon. I am not any happier about this situation than you are, but unfortunately it is what it is and I hope you can understand that this promotion means a lot to me. I will explain more at dinner on Sunday at the Burrow. Malfoy will not be around.

Love,

Hermione

After sending the letter off with her owl Eliana she decided she better get to work. Even though she hadn't been assigned the Death Eater case until yesterday she had been collecting information for months now. She saved all of the articles Emma wrote, and notes of anything she found suspicious, and now she also had Emma's journal, although she was not sure that would be any help. She found that she could never quite get away from the evil in the world, no matter how hard she tried. After the war, she wanted to distance herself from it as much as possible. She didn't want to be on the battle lines anymore, which is a large part of why she chose to go into journalism rather than become an Auror or Healer where she would see suffering everyday. However, with all the activity surrounding the Death Eaters lately, she found that she couldn't stand idly by and let another war brew.

The Death Eaters hadn't acted publicly yet, but she knew it was only a matter of time. The death of Emma was proof of that to Hermione. However, she wasn't the first. There had been several suspicious muggle deaths, the murders of Dennis Creevey and Astoria Greengrass, and an attack on Blaise Zabini. He was lucky enough to escape, but not before getting badly beaten first. Unfortunately, he was unable to name any of the attackers. Some of the details of the attack had been left out of the papers, but being friends with Harry Potter had its perks. Harry often discussed cases with her to get a fresh perspective. She knew that Blaise and Astoria had been attacked in Blaise's home by masked men and that he had no idea why. Blaise and Astoria had been seeing each other for a short time and had just come home from dinner when they were attacked. Blaise said the attackers separated him and Astoria. He heard her screams, but could do nothing to help, as he was being tortured as well. The next thing he remembered was waking up in pitch black, wandering downstairs to the parlor, and finding Astoria's body. He contacted the Aurors immediately after. Blaise and Astoria weren't the only ones to be attacked and tortured. Dennis had cuts and bruises all over his body, suggesting he had been tortured before being killed. They carved the word "MUDBLOOD" into his forehead, and branded his chest with the dark mark. Astoria also had the dark mark seared into her skin but it appeared to have been done after her death.

Hermione had a lot of questions swirling around in her mind. The attack on Blaise, and the murders of Astoria and Dennis were the most significant incidents, but not the only ones. Dennis was the first to happen, 8 months ago, the attack on Blaise and Astoria was 6 months ago, and since then there have been several suspicious muggle deaths and a few break ins. The aurors have yet to figure out what the Death Eaters are after or who their leader is. Hermione really wanted to question Blaise, but she didn't know how she could without letting him know about her new column. And then it came to her; Malfoy. He was an auror so he could ask those questions without being suspicious and Blaise would have to answer them. It was perfect. Malfoy could actually be useful. For once, Hermione was actually somewhat excited to work with him. Well, excited may be too strong of a word. She would talk to him about it first thing tomorrow. Right now, she was still mad at him and couldn't be held responsible for her actions if she were to see him.

After reading through the articles Emma had written, Hermione started compiling a list of all the Death Eaters she knew had never been caught. The most prominent of Death Eaters included Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange, Antonin Dolohov, and Augustus Rookwood. The Lestrange brothers were also high on Hermione's list of possible leaders. If she hadn't known Lucius Malfoy was in Azkaban, he probably would have been at the top of the list. Tomorrow she would begin looking into the last known locations of these missing Death Eaters.

Hermione decided to relax and watch some telly before bed. Tomorrow would be a long day. Not only did she have to track Death Eaters that no one had found for years, but she also had to deal with Malfoy. She wasn't sure which was worse. Flipping through the channels, she landed on Pride and Prejudice. She dozed off as the love/hate relationship between Lizzy and Mr. Darcy played out on the screen before her.


	4. Life Goes On

Chapter 4 – Life Goes On

Hermione lay sprawled on the couch, sleeping peacefully as the television quietly played in the background. She was having the most interesting dream about flying on a hippogriff above Malfoy as he screamed and tried to run away, when she was startled awake by an incessant knocking coming from the front door. Grumpily she made her way to the door. Contrary to popular belief, Hermione Granger was not a morning person. She yanked the door open to find Malfoy on the other side.

"Oh good. You're alive," He said monotonously.

"So nice of you to have worried," Hermione said sweetly. She wanted more than anything to make some snide comment back, but she had already decided that she would not be baited today.

"Trust me, I was only worried for myself and all the paper work I would have to do."

"Well as lovely as this conversation is, I have a lot to do today. You can come in, I guess," She said stepping aside as he moved past her. "I better get ready."

"Yes, you better. You're not fit to be seen in public." He said this so matter of factly that Hermione almost lost her cool. However, instead of rising to his bait she calmly walked to her bedroom.

Draco glanced around the tiny apartment in disdain. Suddenly he felt something rub against his calves. Looking down, he saw the ugliest cat he had ever seen. It looked as though it had run into the wall so many times that it's face had become permanently squished. Its fur was matted, bushy and stuck out at odd angles. '_With hair like that, it must be Granger's cat'_ Draco snickered to himself.

"Shoo!" He said, but the cat, if that's what you could call it, just wrapped itself tighter around his feet. "Get away from me you mangy cat," It looked him in the eyes, and Draco had the strangest feeling that it could understand him perfectly, yet it still wouldn't budge. Draco was just getting ready to kick the cat away when Hermione stepped out of her bedroom. The cat went straight to Hermione and she bent down to scratch behind its ears.

"Poor Crookshanks. Was the ferret being mean to you?" She cooed. Draco glared at her, but didn't say anything. Putting Crookshanks down, she turned to Malfoy.

"Before we get going, I have some business to discuss with you. I've come to realize that your position as auror may come to be useful. After reading through the previous death eater articles and looking over some of my own research, I have made a list of possible suspects. However, before I can start to narrow down that list, I need to get some more information from Blaise. Obviously, I can't just show up at his house and question him about the attack, but that's where you come in. I was thinking you could talk to him about it seeing as you are an Auror and a friend of his."

"And just why would I help you?" Draco sneered.

"I assumed that would be obvious. The faster we get to the bottom of this, the sooner we can get away from each other."

Considering this for a moment, Draco decided that he would just have to suck it up and work with Granger if he ever wanted to get rid of her or solve this case. "Fine, I will talk to Blaise, but I don't expect we will find out much more than what he has already told us."

"Any information will be useful."

"You'll have to come with me, but you can't be in the room when I talk to him. I would never allow a reporter to oversee Auror business, and he knows that."

"That's fine, I can wait in another room. I just have to grab something and then we can go." Rushing to her room, Hermione grabbed a pair of extendable ears from her bedside drawer. The war had taught her to be constantly vigilant so she kept some close by just in case she heard something in the night. Being part of the golden trio, she was a target, even before starting the death eater stories.

"I don't know where he lives, so we'll have to side along apparate," She said as she walked down the hall to where Malfoy stood. She didn't like the idea of being so close to him, but it was better than getting splinched.

Wordlessly, Draco held his arm out for her to take, and as soon as she did, he swiftly apparated them away. They landed outside of a gated manor house. Hermione looked at it in awe. It wasn't as big as Malfoy manor, but it was just as beautiful. Its taupe colored brick made it look warm and inviting. She could only imagine what the indoors looked like when the many windows let in the sunlight.

Draco stepped up to the gate, and upon recognition it opened for him. Before they reached the door, Blaise greeted them.

"Well well well, if it isn't the lovely Hermione and her not quite so lovely partner." He said as they walked up the steps to the door. "Come on in."

Hermione was not disappointed when she stepped inside. It looked exactly how she imagined outside. The entrance was large, sunlight spilled in from the oversized windows, giving off an otherworldly glow. Paintings lined the walls, most likely of ancestors. To the right was a drawing room. From the little Hermione could see of it, it appeared to be decorated in shades of green. To the left was a grand staircase leading to the upper floors. Straight ahead lead to a large hall with several doors. Hermione assumed one of them was the kitchen.

"This is a lovely surprise, it always a pleasure to welcome a lady as beautiful as you to my home." Blaise said, giving Hermione an alluring look. He was laying it on thick today.

"You can stop with the charm Blaise. I'm here on Auror business, Granger is only here because she can't be left alone." He said this as if she needed him to watch over her every second. He shot her a look, as if daring her to rise to the bait, but she wasn't paying him attention. Her eyes were locked on Blaise.

At Draco's words, Blaise's face darkened. There was only one thing Draco would need to speak to him about as an Auror, and it was the one thing he didn't want to discuss. He thought he had finished with all the questioning months ago. Nothing had changed, he still couldn't give them the answers they needed.

"We can speak in my office." He said somberly. He gave Hermione a questioning glance, and she hurried to tell him that she would wait in the entrance hall. They walked down the hall and entered the second room on the left. They shut the door firmly behind them.

Hermione waited a moment, and then crept as close to the door as she dared, pulling the extendable ear out, as she did so.

"orry, to make you go through this again, but I'm afraid I have no choice" She picked out Malfoy's voice, in what sounded like the middle of a sentence. She hadn't missed anything important. That was good.

"If my account of that night can help you to catch the bastards who did it, then I'll tell the story a hundred times." Blaise's voice was full of determination, and something else Hermione couldn't quite place.

"Start at the beginning please."

"I left my house around 7 to go to dinner with Astoria. We had been seeing each other exclusively for 6 months, which as you know is quite a feat for me, so I wanted to celebrate with her. We came back here at about 9. They grabbed us as soon as we walked in the door, and took our wands. We both struggled. I hit my attacker and almost got to Astoria when I was stunned from behind. Next thing I knew I was waking up in my bedroom. I was tied to a chair. I could hear Astoria screaming downstairs. They were torturing her, making her beg for her life. I struggled to get free, but it was no use, the ropes were wound too tight. The attacker realized I was conscious, and started torturing me. He beat me, and used the cruciatus. He never said anything, just laughed. I told him I'd give them whatever they wanted, if they just let us go, but that just made him laugh harder, and then he sent such a strong cruciatus that I passed out. When I woke, I realized they were gone and I was untied. I immediately went to find Astoria, unfortunately I was too late. I found her in the parlor, dead, with the dark mark branded on her chest. I sent for the Auror's immediately after." Blaise's voice shook as he finished his story.

"You didn't see anyone's faces, or anything else that may help to identify these people?" Draco asked quietly, after giving his friend a moment to pull himself together.

"No. They all had masks and robes on. I couldn't even tell you if they were all men. I was mostly with just the one, I think he may have been the leader. There were four attackers in total."

"Do you know how they got in? The property is warded, correct?"

"They broke through the wards somehow. You know wards can be broken if the wizard knows what he's doing."

"Did you notice anything unusual before or during dinner?"

"No, it was just an ordinary day. Nothing happened until we got back from dinner. I have no idea why they would target me. The only thing I can think of is that they wanted to show that nobody is safe, not even purebloods."

"Is there anything else you can remember? Something you may have remembered after giving you initial report, perhaps?"

"No, nothing, except my theory on why they attacked me."

"Alright. Thanks for your help, I'll let you know if we find anything."

Hermione scrambled to put the extendable ear away and hurried back to the entrance hall. She studied a painting, trying to look as if she had been there all along.

"That's my Great Great Grandfather Xavier Zabini," A voice said from behind her. "He was the black sheep of the family. Not a serious bone in his body. He only cared about women, he even married a 23 year old when he was 87. He died on their wedding night. Apparently she was too much for him to handle." He said with a chuckle.

"He kind of reminds me of you," Hermione said, looking at the painting. The man greatly resembled Blaise, it was no wonder he could get any woman he wanted. This must be where Blaise got his charm from. Blaise laughed at her comment and brushed it off.

"As lovely as it is having you here, I have an important lunch date I must be getting to."

"Oh, of course. We must be going anyway, I must be getting to work. I'm late as it is." This was not exactly true. Technically, she was at work right now. "Come on Malfoy." She said, walking toward the door. She knew her dismissive tone would get to him, and sure enough she heard him muttering under his breath.

"I'll see you later Blaise." Draco said as he stepped out.

Draco and Hermione walked to the gate in silence and apparated back to her flat to discuss. After making tea and sandwiches (Hermione decided to be a good host and even made some for Malfoy), they sat down at the small kitchen table.

"I don't understand why the Death Eaters would target Blaise in the first place., and why would they kill Astoria but not Blaise," Hermione mused.

"He thinks they attacked him as a warn—"Draco began to say, but was quickly cut off.

"Yes, yes, as a warning, I know. But why would they target him out of all the purebloods? Why not you? Or the Parkinsons?"

"I should've known you would listen in. As for your question, the Parkinsons live in France for most of the year, and Pansy travels often for her job, so she would be hard to track down. Obviously they didn't attack me because they would never be able to beat me."

"Obviously," Hermione said sarcastically.

"As for the second part to your question" He continued, ignoring her quip, "I think Astoria just got in the way. If they wanted to send a warning, they would want to keep Blaise alive so he could tell everyone about it. I think they didn't know Astoria would be there. She was just a bonus to them."

"Hmm, that makes sense."

At that moment the floo activated and Harry's head appeared. He looked distressed.

"Harry! Is it Ginny? Is she having the baby?" Hermione asked excitedly.

"No, Ginny's fine. I'm here for Malfoy actually. I tried his place but there was no answer, so I assumed he was here."

Draco came into view of the fireplace.

"What is it Potter?"

"There's been another attack."

DUN DUN DUN! Who is it? Guess you'll have to wait and see! Don't forget to review!


	5. Everything Changes

Chapter 5 – Everything Changes

Draco stared at the lifeless body on the ground in front of him. It was a woman, one he had heard of, but never met. Her long dark hair was spread on the floor around her, and her unseeing blue eyes stared at the ceiling. It was clear she had been tortured, there was a dark mark burned into her chest and her body lay at an unnatural angle. Draco had wanted to meet this woman for years, but didn't know how to approach her after all his family had done, and now he would never get the chance to know her. He wondered how his mother would handle the news; after all, this woman was the only sister she had left. Andromeda Tonks was a good woman who stayed out of trouble's way; Draco didn't understand why the Death Eaters would target her. He began to investigate the crime scene, as Harry comforted his Aunt's grandson, Teddy Lupin.

Draco searched the house for any clues, but could find none that lead him to a specific person. It was clear that it was the work of Death Eaters, but that was all. Whoever these people were either had a very strong, organized leader, or were well-versed in the "art" of killing without leaving evidence. If Draco didn't know that his father was in Azkaban, he would think Lucius was behind the attacks. As it was, he had a hunch that these were no new comers, and had once been part of Voldemort's inner circle, which was reserved only for the most evil and power hungry of people. If he was honest with himself he would admit that he was starting to worry that they were underestimating these people.

When Harry arrived at Andromeda's house his first concern was Teddy. As Godfather, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if something happened to the 6 year old child. He found him hiding in a hidden passage behind the closet in Teddy's room. Harry knew of this place because the tot's favorite game happened to be hide and seek. Teddy cried out as soon as he saw Harry. He was a smart boy and he knew something terrible had happened. Harry immediately scooped the young boy into his arms and let him cry as he carried him downstairs, shielding Teddy from the sight in the living room. Setting him down in a kitchen chair, his heart broke when he saw the despair on the child's face.

"Teddy, are you alright? Are you hurt?" Harry asked kindly, kneeling down to be on eye level.

"No Uncle Harry, no hurt's. Where's Nana?"

Harry knew he would have to tell Teddy that his Grandmother had passed, but he was hoping he would have more time to figure out what to say. He steeled himself for the grief Teddy would feel and tried to tell him in the gentlest way possible.

"Nana isn't here anymore, Teddy. She went to heaven. Do you know where that is?"

"That's where Mummy and Daddy are. Why did she go to there?"

"She didn't have a choice. Some bad people came and took her away."

"When she coming back?" Teddy asked this so innocently that Harry felt his eyes water.

"She's not coming back, Teddy. She has to stay in heaven with Mummy and Daddy."

"Can I go with her?"

"No, Teddy, you have to stay here. You will see Nana again someday, but not for a long while. And although you may not be able to see her, she will always be with you, watching over you and loving you, just like your Mum and Dad."

"Where do I go?"

"You come home with me." Harry really didn't want to promise the boy anything without discussing it with Ginny first, but he didn't know what else to say. "Now Teddy, I know this will be hard, but I need you to tell me what happened."

Teddy looked at Harry confusedly for a second as if he was trying to decide where to start, and then his features darkened and Harry knew he remembered everything.

"Me and Nana was playing hide n' seek, I was hiding in my closet. Nana was looking for me and then she wasn't. People was talking to her and yelling, then she screamed. I wanted out but the door wouldn't open. She kept screaming. And then stopped. No more talking, and then you finded me."

From Teddy's account Harry could surmise that Andromeda must have placed a silencing and locking spell on the closet as soon as she realized something was wrong. Thank Merlin for her quick thinking. Deciding that Teddy needed to leave before he somehow saw Andromeda's body, Harry left Malfoy in charge, and went home to tell Ginny what had happened.

Hermione sat at her kitchen table holding a cup of tea that had long gone cold. She hated knowing that such evil people were still in the world. She was worried about Harry, she knew these attacks were especially hard on him. It brought back too many memories of the war, listening to the wireless, hoping against hope that a loved one's name wouldn't be added to the ever expanding list of dead or missing. She knew it wasn't the same, but every time she heard of an attack she unwittingly went back to that final year of the war. It had been hours since Harry and Malfoy left, and she was getting more worried by the minute. What if the Death Eaters were still at the crime scene? Was there a fight? Were they injured? Not that she cared all that much for Malfoy, but all the same, she didn't want him to be harmed just because he was a git. She poured over her notes once more looking for anything that may be useful for the Aurors, but unfortunately there just wasn't enough proof.

Trying to distract herself she began writing her article for the political column she wrote. Finally, after several hours of anxious waiting and attempted writing, Malfoy appeared in the floo. He wasn't necessarily the person she wanted to see, but at least he would have some answers. He looked even surlier than usual, which made her more worried than she already was. She rushed over to the fireplace, unable to stay calm any longer.

"Who?" She asked nervously.

"Andromeda Tonks"

"Teddy?" She asked, fearful for the answer.

"He's fine, shaken obviously, but unharmed. He's with Potter."

"Thank Merlin for that," She stated, slowly sitting down. She couldn't believe Andromeda was gone. Andromeda was always so nice to them, and she took such great care of Teddy. She was a truly good person, someone who was willing to stand up for what they believed in. And then she remembered.

"She was your Aunt."

"Yes," Draco said uncertainly, not knowing was she was getting at.

"Are you alright?"

"I never knew her," Draco said as an answer.

Hermione knew that was the only answer she would get so she moved the conversation in a different direction. "Do you think they attacked her because of her connection to you?"

"No, anyone who knows that we're related also knows that our families never speak. I think they may have done it because she turned her back on her pureblood family. She was a bloodtraitor. At least, that's the only reason I can think of. Unless it was to hit close to Potter, everyone knows he treats the Lupin child as his own. But if that were the case, why wouldn't they have searched harder for and killed the boy?" By this point, Malfoy was just thinking aloud. After a long pause, Hermione spoke.

"Malfoy…I've been thinking that maybe the Lestranges are behind all this. The fact that Andromeda was attacked has made me think it's them even more so. They know her to be a 'bloodtraitor' because she 'betrayed' the Black family, which included Bellatrix, they may have felt it was more personal."  
"Hmm…possibly. But I think it's more than that. So far they have killed a muggleborn, a pureblood, a bloodtraitor, and we're pretty sure at least one muggle. I think they may go after a halfblood next."

"I think you may be right. Did you find anything at the house that might help to identify them or predict their next move?"

"No, nothing. Whoever it is knows how to cover their tracks. And besides, even if I had found something at the house, I wouldn't tell you. You're a reporter, I can't tell you anything that the public ought not to know in case you print it."

"Are you serious? I'm not Rita Skeeter for Merlin's sake! I only write what is strictly necessary."

"Well if you wanted to be part of the investigation maybe you should have become an auror instead."

"I think it's time you leave now," She had had enough Malfoy for one day, and she had promised herself this morning that she would not rise to his bait.

"Gladly," He said, stepping into the fireplace. He threw down some floo powder

shouted "Malfoy Manor" and disappeared in a whirl of green flames. As soon as he was gone Hermione sank into the couch, closed her eyes and let the days events sink in. A single tear slid down her cheek. She quickly brushed it away. She would not cry until this all was over. She had to be clear minded and strong if she was ever going to figure this puzzle out. She couldn't let herself get caught up in her grief or her haunting memories. She needed to speak to Harry. Throwing a handful of floo powder in the fireplace she shouted "Grimmauld Place" and Harry's kitchen came into view. He was sitting at the table with his head in his hands, deep in thought. He didn't notice she was there until she spoke.

"Harry," She half shouted, effectively breaking him out of his reverie.

"Oh! Mione, I didn't see you."

"I noticed. I called your name 3 times. I just wanted to make sure you were alright. Is now a bad time? Can I pop over?"

"Yea it's fine, come on through."

A few moments later Hermione stepped out of the fireplace. She immediately walked up to Harry and hugged him tightly. The way only people who have been through a lot together can hug.

"How are you?" She asked, pulling away.

"I'm alright, it's Teddy I'm worried about. His life has completely changed. Although, I guess mine has too."

"So you're taking him in?"

"Yes, of course. He's my godson, I can't abandon him. Ginny and I were ready to be parents before this happened, it just happened a little sooner than we expected. So now, in a few weeks time, we'll have a newborn and a 6 year old. That should be interesting." He said with a little chuckle, trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm sure you'll be great. You were already a father figure to Teddy anyway. And you know if you need anything, anything at all, to just ask."

"I will. I know we'll be okay, it'll just take some getting used to."

"Where is Ginny anyway?"

"She's upstairs with Teddy. He's starting to understand what happened, and as you can expect, he's not taking it well. Ginny asked me to give her some time alone with him."

"Poor Teddy, he's already experienced so much loss in his short life. Let's hope this is the last of it for many many years to come."

"I will do everything in my power to protect him," Harry said somberly. "Mione, was there something else you wanted to discuss?"

"I talked to Malfoy earlier and we came up with some ideas. I think Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange may have something to do with this, or even leading the Death Eaters. They were in Voldemort's inner circle, they were never caught, and they are certainly evil enough. And then Malfoy realized that the Death Eaters have killed one person from each blood type. Astoria was a pureblood, Dennis a muggleborn, Andromeda a pureblood who snubbed pureblood society, and at least one muggle. He thinks they may go after a half blood next."

"That's a pretty good theory, I'll look into it."

"Thanks, Harry. I hope you'll find it useful. I better get going. Tell Ginny I said hi."

"I will. And Mione? I know you are going to write an article about this, just please be careful."

"I'm always careful Harry."

With that she disapparated, but she didn't go home. She appeared in front of a small two story house. A white fence surrounded the property, and flowers bloomed in front. After casting _homenum revelio_ and finding the house to be empty, she cautiously approached the front door. The door creaked as Hermione pushed it open and Hermione felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She entered the foyer and looked to her left toward the dining room and kitchen, it appeared perfectly normal. Looking to the right to the sitting room Hermione saw the damage that had been done. Broken glass littered the floor and scorch marks stained the walls. Andromeda had put up a good fight. Stepping farther into the room, Hermione felt that something was off. Strong magic had been used, but for what, she didn't know. At that moment she heard the distinct 'pop' of apparation. She quickly cast a disillusionment spell on herself and ducked behind the sofa. The front door slowly creaked open as the intruder stepped inside. She could hear the muffled sound of boots walking on carpet and gripped her wand tighter. The footsteps stopped at the other end of the sofa. With the disarming spell at the tip of her tongue she sneaked a peek and came face to face with…

"Malfoy?"

"I see I was correct in my assumption of your whereabouts," He stated coldly, "I knew you wouldn't be able to stay away. You would want to check it out for yourself. Always looking for some new way to get yourself killed."

"I'm a reporter, it's my job to find as much information as I can."

"Yes, well, _you_ are my job. And I can't do my job if you are going to deliberately put yourself in danger by breaking into crime scenes."

"I wouldn't have to break into crime scenes if you would just tell me about it in the first place. And don't give me the runaround about not being able to because I'm a reporter. You know full well that I won't print anything too sensitive or unproven. So until you allow me to do my job then I will continue to 'put myself in danger' to find the information I need, and you'll just have to deal with it."

"Listen Granger and listen well, I could give a flying fuck about your well-being, but we both know that if anything happens to you, not only will I get canned, but I will also get killed by tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum. My arse is as much on the line as yours, so either you admit the gravity of your situation, or you will get us both killed."

"Don't talk to me as if I'm a child. I understand full well the gravity of my situation, but that doesn't mean I won't do my job. As much as I hate you, I will admit that this isn't working, and propose a truce. I will be more cautious if you will bring me in on the investigation. You know I can help, don't deny it."

After a minute of glaring and silent thought, Malfoy nodded tersely, grabbed Hermione's arm and apparated them back to her flat. She immediately got to work on her article for the attack, and he read a book. It was by no means a comfortable silence, but even an uncomfortable silence was better than their constant bickering.

So, what do you think? Review, please!


	6. Awwkward

Chapter 6 – Aww-kward

**Death Eater Attacks Continue**

**By: Emily Downes**

There was a time when the words 'Death Eater' were slowly but surely turning into no more than a distant memory, but unfortunately those days are over. The past months have brought several attacks and deaths, most recently the murders of Andromeda Tonks and Daily Prophet reporter Emma Winters. Miss Winters was found murdered in her home after what appeared to be a burglary gone wrong. It appears that Miss Winters was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Aurors confirm that Death Eaters were responsible. We at the Prophet mourn for her and send our deepest condolences to her family.

Yesterday, another attack occurred, resulting in the death of Mrs. Andromeda Tonks. Widowed during the war, Mrs. Tonks lived a quiet life and cared for her Grandson Ted Lupin. It is unclear as of now why she was targeted. There has been some speculation that her relationship with war hero Harry Potter could have been a factor, but investigators have neither confirmed nor denied this theory. Ted Lupin was unharmed and has been put into the safe custody of his Godfather.

Earlier in the week there was an attempted break in at war hero and Daily Prophet reporter Hermione Granger's flat, but the intruders were unable to get in due to extensive protection wards. Miss Granger was not at home at the time. Aurors think it likely to be the work of Death Eaters, but they have not yet given the reason behind this suspicion.

Aurors have not released details of the attacks, due to their sensitive nature, but they have assured us that they are working around the clock to find those responsible. Head Auror Harry Potter stated "We will track down those responsible for the death of these innocent people, and they _will _be punished. The wizarding world will continue to be as safe as it was before these attacks started." He also asked that if anyone has any information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to please step forward.

It had been three days since Andromeda's murder, and two days since the article was published and it was still all anyone was talking about. Hermione had been flooded with owls from readers who had questions or thought they had information. Of course, they didn't know who they were actually writing to, as far as they were concerned she was 'Emily Downes'. Lila had arranged for all of the mail to be forwarded to her. She gave up trying to keep her office window closed, and coworkers gawked when they saw all the letters filling her desk. So far nothing useful had come up. One reader was even convinced that Harry was behind it all because he wanted to 'feel important again'. Hermione seriously considered sending a howler back to them telling them how daft they were. Luckily, Malfoy talked her out of it, or more like argued her out of it by agreeing with the writer. By the time she made her point, she had gotten all of her anger out of her system. Sometimes it was nice that Malfoy was such a prat. Some people did kickboxing to work out their anger, Hermione just had to talk to Malfoy for five minutes.

Draco and Hermione were most definitely not friends, but over the last three days they had come to an understanding. They figured out how to ignore each other (most of the time). Hermione worked most of the time, doing research or writing, while Malfoy appeared to do nothing, yet always finished everything that needed to be done. He refused to leave her alone now that she had written an article, which meant he practically moved in with her, but he had no problem complaining about sleeping on the couch. Everytime he said something though, the only thing Hermione could think of was him as a child saying "My Father will hear about this." It never failed to make her laugh, which of course only made him angrier. But other than that, there was only one particularly tense moment on Saturday when Hermione had to run into work to get a file she forgot the day before. It was a very important file on the Lestranges. She walked into her office to grab it and Evan Stark was in there, bent over her desk. Malfoy pushed her out of the way and stunned him before she even had a chance to recognize him. Evan immediately fell to the ground. Once Malfoy realized who it was, he woke him up, but still glared at him. After interrogating him they found out that Evan was just leaving a note for Hermione about her column (the political one). However, Draco didn't believe him. He said he could tell when people were lying, and this "kid" was most definitely lying.

Hermione had never much cared for Evan. He was very charming and suave, much like Blaise, but there was something about him that seemed off. He was very handsome, almost too handsome. Honey brown hair, eyes blue as the sky, slightly tanned skin, and a body to die for. He once asked Hermione out on a date, and while the girly side of her considered it based on looks alone, the rational part took over and said no. He was shocked. It was clear that 'no' was not a word he had often heard. And when she really thought about it, she thought that was what put her off about him. After this he was much colder to her, but she didn't much mind. In fact, she expected him to be even colder after this little incident.

She thought about this incident as she was getting ready for the traditional Sunday dinner at the Burrow. She was nervous for tonight's dinner. By now, she figured most, if not all of the Weasley's knew about her bodyguard, though they didn't know why. She tried to talk Malfoy into letting her go to dinner alone. After all, she would be in a house that was practically undetectable, and she would be in the presence of several Aurors. Not to mention the fact that she could handle herself. But everyone seemed to forget that fact these days. She knew she took on a dangerous job, but she was confident in her abilities. However, it was not to be. He refused to let her out of his sight. She tried convincing him that she would be safe, but then he reminded her that Harry would be there, who was in fact his boss (sort of), and would fire him if he didn't think he was doing his job. One thing could be said about him; he sure took his job seriously. She just hoped he behaved so she could talk to Ron. She felt terrible about how things had gone earlier in the week, and thought if she could just talk to him alone she might be able to sort things out.

Apparating from her flat to the Burrow was always a little disorienting, simply because of the noise. She lived alone in her flat (or used to anyway, before Malfoy practically moved in) so it was quiet, and then she'd pop into the Weasley household and be bombarded with noise. Not that she minded. As soon as she walked into the kitchen she was greeted with many hugs. Looking back, she saw that Malfoy moved into the corner, looking as if he was trying to blend in with the wall.

"Aunt Mione! Aunt Mione!"

Looking down, Hermione saw Bill and Fleur's little girl, Victoire wrapped around her legs. For some reason, unknown even to herself, Victoire had taken a great liking to Hermione. Perhaps it was because she was a little bookworm, just like Hermione.

"Is that Aunt Mione's boyfriend?" Victoire asked, pointing at Draco. It was then that everyone noticed he was there. Judging from the fact that no one looked too horribly upset, Hermione surmised that Mrs. Weasley must have told everyone he would be there after Hermione wrote to her.

"No, he's my—friend," Hermione said delicately. She didn't want the girl to know what their true relationship was like, and didn't think she would understand 'bodyguard'.

With that being said Victoire skipped over to Draco. "Aunt Mione's friend is my friend too?" she asked, looking up at him innocently.

Feeling the weight of all of the Weasley's stares he replied "Er…sure." Unexpectedly, she wrapped herself around his legs in a tight hug, positively beaming at him. He awkwardly patted her on the head.

At that moment Harry, Ginny, and Teddy walked in. It was a sight to behold. Everyone staring in shock as Victoire hugged Draco Malfoy and he patted her head like one might do to a dog. "Teddy!" Victoire exclaimed, forgetting all about Draco and running up and hugging the little boy. They started talking the way only children can do, and the awkward moment was lost. Hugs were given to Harry and Ginny, and Malfoy was all but forgotten, except of course for Mrs. Weasley.

"Draco dear, nice to see you," She said giving him a warm hug. He was not used to all this hugging. He could probably count on one hand how many times he had been hugged by his parents. "Don't mind the others" she said, "They'll warm up eventually." Somehow I doubt that, he thought, as she walked away to finish making dinner. With nothing better to do he figured he would join in Granger and Potters conversation.

"—rised to see you here." Hermione finished saying as he walked up.

"We're trying to keep everything as normal as possible for Teddy, and we thought keeping his routine of Sunday dinners would be best." Harry stated.

"Plus," Ginny interjected, "He seems to do better when he's around people. When he's alone he calls out for Andromeda and he doesn't quite know why we answer instead. He's just too young to fully understand. It's heartbreaking." They all looked over at the boy in question. At the moment, he appeared carefree as he played with Victoire.

"So Malfoy, I heard about what happened yesterday," Harry said, with a hint of laughter in his voice. "It's nice to know you take your job seriously" this was said more solemnly.

"Of course I take my job seriously, Potter," he snapped acerbically.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, I didn't mean anything."

Just as Draco was about to tell him off, Mrs. Weasley announced dinner was served, and everyone took off in a mad dash to the kitchen. Draco was surprised to find that everyone fit in the kitchen despite its size. He somehow got stuck sitting between George and Victoire. One kept shooting him glares, while the other kept shooting him smiles, he wasn't sure which was more unnerving. Draco was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. He would have to admit that Mrs. Weasley sure knew how to cook, of course, he wouldn't admit that out loud. Every time George opened his mouth Draco thought of a hilariously clever insult, but he could tell by the looks George gave him after every comment that he was just being baited. He held his tongue all through dinner, and was actually quite proud of himself. Then, just about the worst thing that could possibly happen, happened. Ron walked in.

"Sorry I'm late Mum, practice ran long." Ron was the seeker for the Chudley Cannons. They still weren't a winning team, but they were better than they used to be and Ron loved playing for them.

Everyone was silent, waiting for Ron's reaction when he saw Malfoy. Luckily, Hermione wrote to him and warned him that Malfoy would be there. Clearly, he chose to ignore anything that had to do with Hermione and/or Malfoy. He went around the table greeting everyone but them. As he sat down, Mrs. Weasley spoke up

"Ron, we have two more guests that you forgot to greet," She wouldn't stand for his rudeness, she raised him to have manners.

Grudgingly, he acknowledged Hermione and Malfoy. A tense silence fell. Before anything could escalate Hermione stood up and asked to speak to Ron privately. After a moment, he reluctantly agreed and followed her to the living room.

"You said he wouldn't be here," he said as soon as they were alone

"Yes, well, things change. There was an attack, I had to write a story about it. It's more dangerous now."

"You shouldn't be with him."

"You act as if I'm dating him. We're working together, that's all! It wasn't even my choice, Ronald."

He always knew he was in trouble when she said his full name. "He's not good Hermione. He'll kill you when your back is turned. How do you know he's not the one behind the attacks?"

"I've been with him 24/7 for the last 5 days, he never had the time."

"What do you mean 24/7? Surely you two don't spend the whole day and night together? Where does he sleep?" This was starting to get dangerous, Ron always jumped to conclusions. It was one reason why their relationship didn't work out.

"On the couch of course. Honestly, Ron, what kind of a woman do you think I am? Sometimes, it's like you don't know me at all. You need to get a handle on your jealousy. Someday I will be with someone, and you'll have to accept that, BUT that person is not, nor will it ever be Malfoy. And until you get that through your head, I don't think we should see each other."

"Merlin Hermione, you can't break up with me. We're not even together!" He said hotly.

"You seemed to have forgotten that fact." She said coldly, walking out.

Walking back into the kitchen, she said "I'm sorry Molly, dinner was wonderful, but I must be going." And she disapparated before the tears started flowing.

Draco quickly stood to follow, but being bred with impeccable manners he turned to Mrs. Weasley and thanked her for inviting him into her home before disapparating back to Hermione's flat. When he walked in he saw that Granger was hunched over the stove making tea. She appeared to be…crying. He did not like crying women.

"Well that was interesting. Next time remind me to bring a knife to cut the tension." He said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Go away Malfoy"

Turning, to go into the other room, he stopped and said "Weasley is a git"

"Yes, you've said that many times," she said dismissively.

"Well, yes, but normally I just mean in general. Tonight I mean he was a git to you."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Just that he doesn't deserve your..er…tears," he was getting more uncomfortable by the minute. Draco liked to think that he had no weaknesses, but crying women were probably his biggest weakness. It was so uncomfortable to see them cry, and then their eyes got all puffy and red and snot started to come out. It just wasn't pretty. At least, that's the reason why he liked to think he had a problem with crying women, but in reality it was a very different reason. He would just never admit it.

"Thanks Malfoy," she said turning to face him, sounding somewhat flabbergasted. She had fully expected him to tease her and make it worse. Who knew Malfoy could be somewhat thoughtful? That thought alone comforted her more than his words.

"You're welcome. Now go wash your face, the crying has made you unfit to be seen."

"It's not like I'm going anywhere."

"What I meant was unfit to be seen by anyone with eyes."

"Gee, thanks, Malfoy." Knowing it was his way of dealing with his discomfort at saying something semi-nice, she decided not to take offense. Walking down the hall to her bedroom, she turned around and gave him one last look, "Goodnight, Malfoy."

"Night, Granger."

That was the first time they wished each other goodnight since they were thrown together. They both thought it felt nice to end the night pleasantly instead of arguing, and fell asleep with contented looks upon their faces.


	7. Threats

Sorry, this chapter is a little short. I had the worst writers block, and just could not for the life of me figure out what to write. I'm a little disappointed with this chapter, but bear with me, the next one should be good. REVIEW PLEASE!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

Chapter 7 - Threats

Monday started off as what had come to be an ordinary day. Hermione forced herself out of bed early as usual and quickly got showered and dressed. Walking down the hall she saw that Malfoy was still asleep on the couch. She took a few seconds to study him, and found it surprising how sweet and peaceful he looked in his sleep. If she didn't know any better she might actually think he was a normal human being instead of the prat that she knew him to be. Walking into the kitchen she made two cups of coffee. As she mentally made her to do list for the day, she spied the bundle of letters she had taken home with her. Deciding she might as well make a start on the stack, she picked up the first letter. Before opening each letter, she scanned them for any kind of tampering. Most of the letters were from concerned readers who had questions or wished to offer condolences. One of them was a conspiracy theory about the Ministry using supposed 'deatheaters' to control the masses. Hermione suspected this was the same person who thought Harry was behind the attacks. As she reached for the seventh letter, Malfoy walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning," Hermione said civilly. She got a grunt in return as Malfoy poured himself a cup of coffee. Over the past few days Hermione had learned a lot about Malfoy. Number one being that he lost all communication skills until he had his morning cup of coffee.

Giving him time to properly wake up she went back to the letter she was in the midst of opening when he walked in. She pulled the letter out, but there was still something weighing down the envelope. As she flipped it over, a necklace spilled out. It was made of gold with a heart locket attached to it. Hermione immediately recognized it as Emma's. She remembered Emma going around for a week showing it off, as it was a present from her boyfriend. Quickly unfolding the letter, Hermione gasped when she saw that it was written in what surely must be blood:

**Miss "Downes",**

** It was oh so lovely to read yet another article from you. It was especially surprising as it appears to have been written from the grave. Although, we both know Miss Winters was behind the original articles, and seeing as she is dead, this must be someone new entirely. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the one that will torture and kill you, unless you stop writing immediately. I would hate for us to end on such bad terms.**

**P.S. I thought you might like the locket.**

Hermione dropped the letter, and Draco immediately came over asking her what was wrong. She gestured to the letter on the ground. As he picked it up, she opened the locket. Instead of the pictures of Emma and her boyfriend Michael, she found two pictures of Emma's body. To say she was disturbed was an understatement, but she couldn't say she hadn't been expecting something like this. She was just hoping it wouldn't be so soon after her first article.

"Come on, we're going to the Auror Office," Draco stated, after reading the death threat.

"No, no I think we should talk to Lila first. Maybe she'll have some idea where it came from."

"I think that's unnecessary, but fine." He gave in, because he knew arguing would just waste time. He disappeared for a few minutes, and before Hermione knew it, he came back, dressed and ready to go. One would never know that 10 minutes ago he'd been sound asleep.

After apparating into the Daily Prophet headquarters, they quickly made their way to Lila's office. Clutching the threatening letter tightly, Hermione gave two quick knocks, and then entered as Lila said "Come in."

"Ah, Hermione, Draco, is there something I can help you with? You two didn't get into another fight did you?" She asked, giving them a reproachful look.

"No, but I need to talk to you about the letters from my most recent article. Do you remember seeing this one?" She asked, handing her the envelope with the letter and locket enclosed. "Maybe you can remember the owl who delivered it?"

Looking it over, Lila appeared puzzled, but then a look of recognition graced her features. "Yes, I remember this one, because of the weight. I remember wondering what was inside, and I tested it for curses before I gave it to you. I can't help you with the owl though."

"You don't remember when it came?" Draco asked.

"No, I do, but it didn't come from an owl. Evan gave it to me. He had a stack that had accidentally gone to his office instead."

Draco and Hermione glanced at each other, both thinking the same thing: _Could Evan be behind all this?_

"How many other letters did he have with him?"

"Just a couple. I assume they were delivered to his office by mistake. Our mail gets mixed up all the time."

"Was he acting oddly?" Draco inquired.

"No, he was his usual self. He just came in, told me he had those letters by accident, put them on my desk, and left."

"Alright, thanks for your help, Lila. We're going to go to the Auror office and see if they can find anything out for us."

"Stay safe, and don't worry about coming in for the rest of the day."

"I'll let you know if we find anything out." She said as they walked out. They barely made it out of the room before discussing what they learnt. Draco wanted to know more about Evan. He knew that it could have been an honest mistake, but there was always the chance that it wasn't, and Draco didn't want to take the risk.

"He was snooping around your office the other day. Probably trying to find out who Lila gave the letters to. What do you know about him?"

"Not much. He's extremely charming and a womanizer, and he doesn't like to hear no. He asked me out on a date once, and after I said no he became extremely cold to me, but it seemed to be more than just the coldness of rejection. I haven't interacted with him much since then."

"Do you think he could be involved? Possibly even the leader?

"There's definitely something off about him, but I can't say that I suspect him, without knowing more about him. However, I do think we should try to find out more."

"I agree. You may just have to go on that date with him after all." Draco stated, somewhat seriously, yet somewhat mischievous.

"Let's hope not. Let's just go to the Auror department and see what they say."

Stepping outside, they apparated to the Auror office. Hermione immediately looked for Harry, while Draco went to get Kingsley. Harry knew something was wrong as soon as he saw Hermione's face.

"Mione, what's wrong? Did something happen? Did Malfoy do something?"

"No, Malfoy's fine. I got a letter from the death eaters this morning. They don't know that I'm the one behind the articles, but they threatened to kill me once they found out. We went and talked to Lila and she remembered Evan giving her that letter."

"Evan gave her the letter to give to you?"

"No, it was with all the other letters that were from my article about the attack on Andromeda. He didn't know the letters were going to me."

"I see. Where's Malfoy?"

"He went to get Kingsley, they should be here any moment." As coincidence would have it, they were walking over just as she finished her sentence.

"Hermione," Kingsley greeted, "Draco has filled me in on the situation, but I would like to hear your account."

Hermione started to describe her morning, with a few interruptions from Malfoy.

"Before you opened it, you checked for curses, I assume?" Kingsley asked.

"Yes, of course. It came up clean, so I thought nothing of it. After we both read it, we went to talk to my boss Lila." She continued to tell him about their suspicions on Evan and also about her own suspicions on the Lestranges.

"The Lestranges are on our suspect list. I don't know anything about this Evan Stark, but I will look into it. Keep an eye on him, and try to talk to him more, if he is involved, he might let something slip. And Hermione, don't worry. We won't let anything happen to you."

"Thanks, Kingsley."

"I have a meeting I must get to, but if you need anything else, feel free to ask. I will let you know if I find anything out about Evan Stark."

"I have to go to this meeting too, but I will see you later." Harry said, giving her a hug. "Are you going back to work today? Would you like me to see if Ginny and Teddy could come over?"

"That would be great Harry."

"Potter," Malfoy gave a curt nod as goodbye, and walked out with Hermione.

Hermione and Draco arrived back at the flat, and a few minutes later an owl arrived from Ginny saying that she would be there soon. Hermione wasn't as unnerved now that she had talked to Harry and Kingsley. She was starting to go into her planning mode. She was thinking she might have to take Malfoy's advice and go on a date with Evan. It would probably be the best way to gather information about him. She snapped herself out of it before she got too deep in thought.

"I'm starving. I'm going to make a sandwich, would you like one?" Hermione asked, deciding to be polite. After all, Malfoy hadn't been so bad today.

"Looks like you finally learned some manners. Yes, I would like a sandwich."

Maybe she had been wrong. She opened her mouth to reply, but Teddy came whirling through the floo, with Ginny right behind him.

"Hi Aunt Mione," he said, running up and giving her a hug.

"Hi Teddy," She smiled, returning the hug.

"Hey Gin. Wow, you look ready to pop."

"I feel like it too."

"I was just about to make some sandwiches, would you like one?"

"Sure, I'll help." She said, heading to the kitchen. They both ignored the slight look of alarm on Draco's face as he was left alone with Teddy. As they prepared lunch, Hermione filled Ginny on what happened and what she was thinking she'd have to do. Ginny agreed with her. As they walked back to the living room they had to suppress laughter as they saw that Teddy was showing Malfoy all the toys he brought with him and explaining in detail what they did and why he liked it. Malfoy looked bored. The girls found it odd how kids seemed to like him so much.

"Sandwiches" Ginny said, setting the platter down on the coffee table. They all grabbed one, and listened as Teddy continued to prattle on about his toys. After a few intensely awkward minutes Draco escaped to the office, claiming he had work to do. Once he left, Teddy started playing quietly with his Quidditch figures on the floor.

"So what's it like living with Malfoy?"

"It's not as terrible as I expected. We mostly ignore each other. However, I did almost kill him the first couple days, but then I got a coffee maker and he became much more bearable. He's even worse in the morning than I am, and if he doesn't have his coffee he's a right terror to be around."

"I noticed you aren't fighting as much."

"I realized some things just weren't worth fighting over, especially when I can't escape him. This flat's small, there's only so many places I can go."

"Ah, I see. Ok, I only have one more question. Have you seen him naked?" Ginny asked with a mischievous smile.

"Gin! No, of course not!"

"You mean you haven't "accidentally" walked in on him in the shower?"

"NO!"

"Don't you want to know if the rumours are true?"

"Oh Ginny," she said, laughing, "no I do not particularly care, but if I do happen to find out I'll let you know." She winked.

"You better" She admonished.

They spent the rest of the afternoon chatting and laughing like old times. Draco stayed hidden away and did not surface until Ginny and Teddy left. They ate dinner together, and Hermione told him of her plan to go on a date with Evan. Draco, of course, wouldn't let her go alone, so he demanded that he be at the restaurant too, at the next table over. Hermione thought this was ridiculous, but it turned out to be one of those things she didn't feel like arguing over. She would ask Evan out for Friday. She really hoped he wouldn't see through her, but tried not to worry about it.


	8. The Date From Hell

REVIEW PLEASE! Tell me your thoughts and ideas, it's very motivating.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

The Date From Hell

Hermione was a bundle of nerves. Tonight was her "date" with Evan Stark. She wasn't that fond of dates to begin with, but she was absolutely dreading this one. For one thing, she didn't particularly like Evan, plus she had to try to figure out how to wheedle information out of him without him getting suspicious, and on top of all that she had to deal with Malfoy being within ear shot at all times. Luckily, that included extendable ears. As she was getting ready she thought about what she would say to him. She got him to agree to go out with her under the guise of an apology for when Malfoy knocked him out in her office the other day. Some flirting helped too, but mainly she relied on his ego. She figured a guy like him couldn't resist seeing the one and only woman to turn him down come crawling back. Even Malfoy agreed with her on this, that was why they decided to move so quickly. Once Hermione started flirting Evan warmed right back up and she knew she had him. Now she just had to figure out what to do with him. Obviously she couldn't just ask him outright if he was involved with the death eaters, but it was going to be tricky working it into the conversation.

She continued to get ready as she thought about conversation starters. She was going all out tonight. She quickly dried her hair with her wand and applied some Sleakeasy's hair potion to calm down any frizz. Using her wand she curled her hair into long, sexy, waves. She applied a smoky eye look that Ginny showed her, and put on a pinkish red lipstick. Next, she picked out a black dress from her closet. It was a halter top that showed just a hint of cleavage. It had black beading along the top, and the skirt ended just above her knees. She put her black strappy heels on and looked at herself in the mirror. Pleased with her reflection she headed out to the living room.

Draco wouldn't admit it, but he was slightly nervous for tonight as well. He took his job very seriously and didn't want to risk anything that wasn't necessary. What had started out as simply protecting Granger if harm came her way had turned into a full fledged investigation where he was the one putting her into dangerous situations. Something about this Evan character troubled him. There was a look in his eyes that threw Draco off. It was a look he had seen many times before in his Father's eyes. The look of superiority, as if he knew he were better than everyone and would do whatever he needed to do to show that. However, he was confident in his abilities to keep Granger safe, and he'd already made it clear that she was to stay within sight. He just hoped she listened. If only she wasn't so hardheaded. As much as he didn't like the woman, it didn't mean he wanted her harmed. Maybe a contingency plan would be in order, just in case. For the next half hour he sat there trying to think of any scenario that could possibly happen. Suddenly a voice jarred him out of his thoughts.

"Can you zip me up?" Hermione asked tentatively.

Draco looked up and he did a double take. Granger looked gorgeous. He always thought she was pretty (not that he would admit it), even though he teased her about her bushy hair and big teeth, but tonight she looked beautiful. It was like the Yule ball all over again. Draco slowly walked up to her. She turned around. He never noticed how nice her shoulders were before. Tanned and small, but strong, just like the rest of her. He let his hands linger on the zipper for a second, before he finally realized what he was doing and who he was looking at.

"Thanks," she said, turning to face him. "Well, do I look alright?"

"You look…acceptable." He said, refraining from saying what he actually thought.

Her face fell a little before she replaced it with a smile, she should've known that was the best she would get from him. _Not that I care what he thinks._ "I guess that will have to do. Shall we go? I'm supposed to meet him at the restaurant at 8:00, but we should get there a little early just to get things sorted." She said as she gathered her purse and put on a jacket.

20 minutes later she was greeting Evan as he reached their table. She let him give her a light hug and she discreetly looked at Malfoy, who was a few tables over, out of Evans sight. Despite the fact that it was Malfoy, his presence was actually somewhat comforting. She knew that if things were to get out of hand she would have back up, and it was nice to know someone was on her side.

"I see you gave Malfoy the slip. How did you manage that?" Evan asked.

"It was quite easy actually. He really only escorts me around during the day, and then checks my flat when I get home to make sure it's safe. I have the evenings to myself. He's mostly around to make it look like I have protection, so that whoever attempted to break into my flat would think it wasn't worth the risk of attacking again. It was the only way I would agree to this bodyguard nonsense." She lied, hoping she could start gaining his trust by making him believe she trusted him.

"He seemed pretty serious in your office the other day."

"Yes, and I still feel awful about that. I'm so glad you accepted this dinner as my way of apology."

"Yes well, I knew I'd get you out on a date sometime. I mean 'apology dinner'." He said, using finger quotes. Outwardly, Hermione smiled and gave him a flirtatious look, inwardly she groaned. _Was he really this full of himself? _Glancing over, she saw Malfoy suppressing sniggers. At that moment, the waiter came over to take their order. As she opened her mouth to order, Evan interrupted and ordered for her. She couldn't believe him! And he ordered her salmon, she hated fish. She wanted to give him a piece of her mind so badly, but she knew she couldn't or else she might have to go on a second date with him, and that just might be the worst thing that could possibly happen. After the waiter left they got to talking, but every time she tried to steer the conversation he would bring it right back to her, or talk about some accomplishment of his that had absolutely nothing to do with the conversation.

Hermione could feel her control over the night and her temper slowly slipping away. She needed to get Evan to talk, and fast. She was thinking that she may to turn to her last resort; the chattiness potion. Developed by accident once when trying to brew veritaserum, it was similar to the truth potion in that it allowed the drinker to open up and discuss things they may normally avoid. However, it did not force the drinker to tell the truth. It could be likened to having too much to drink, and lowering inhibitions. On one hand, Hermione didn't want to listen to Evan talk on end, but it would get her out of there faster. _I just want to get out of these damn heels, go home, watch some TV with Malfoy and go to bed. It's time for drastic measures_. So lost in thought was she that she didn't even realize she had just thought about voluntarily spending time with Malfoy.

Reaching forward to grab the bottle of wine that Evan had insisted on ordering, Hermione "accidentally" knocked over his glass.

"Oh, goodness! I'm sorry, I'm just so clumsy. Here, let me pour you another glass." As she poured, she stealthily poured a couple drops of the potion in.

Draco watched all of this from a few tables over. He was having a hard time controlling his laughter. He knew exactly what Granger was trying to do, and had to applaud her on her efforts. He was surprised by just how sneaky she could be. The thing that had him laughing was Evan's reaction. As Hermione cleaned the mess up, he made some remark about how she was a lightweight and then offered her another glass. Draco could tell that he was hoping to get her drunk and take her home tonight. If only he knew.

Draco was glad they had thought of the chattiness potion as a backup plan. He wanted to use veritaserum, but unfortunately it cannot be given without the suspects' knowledge. He was willing to overlook that rule, but Granger would not. Simply, because she wasn't sure Evan was guilty of being a death eater or if he was just a git. Sometimes morals just got in the way. As amusing as he was finding this, he really just wanted to go back to Grangers flat, and pass some time in front of the television. He found this muggle invention fascinating.

Hermione had made the mistake of asking Evan why he decided to become a reporter. Mostly, he just rambled on about how he liked to know everyone's business, and that it let him go to a lot of events and meet girls.

"I like working there, but seriously, everyone needs to cheer up."

"They're just sad about Emma," Hermione said.

"Everyone's so sad about Emma's death, but really she was a bitch. If you ask me, she got what was coming to her. Going around, acting like she was above everyone. Even if she wasn't writing the death eater articles, they probably would have killed her anyway. You know, I asked her out once and she had the audacity to say no. As if _she _wasn't good enough to date _me_."

Hermione listened to his diatribe against Emma and reacted at all the right parts, but inside she was fuming. How dare he talk about Emma that way? She was a sweetheart, and most definitely did not deserve her fate. At least she got him to admit that he knew about Emma's secret identity. She was happy to hear that Emma didn't fall for his charm either.

"I think everyone's just pretending to be sad for appearance's sake. I doubt anyone actually liked her. Enough about her. What about you? Why did you decide to become a reporter?"

Hermione gave a brief answer and then tried to steer the conversation back toward Emma, but it was not to be. He simply wouldn't talk about her anymore, or about anything else death eater related. After another hour or so, and multiple attempts of Evan trying to get her to go back to his place, she finally escaped. All in all, she would say it was successful. Even though she didn't learn as much as she would have liked, she at least found out how Evan felt about Emma. It was enough to make her suspicious of him.

"So what did you think?" A voice said behind her. She jumped and turned around, just to see Malfoy.

"You startled me!" She exclaimed, "Let's go home first, then we'll talk."

They quickly apparated back to Hermione's apartment. Hermione immediately slipped out of her heels. Draco found this act oddly alluring. _I must be losing it_ he thought, looking away.

"To answer your question, I thought tonight was successful. We found out that he hated Emma and that he knew she was writing the articles. It even would have been easy for him to kill her, she knew him, and she would have let him into her flat if he said he was there for work."

"That's true" He replied, "But I think if he actually did it, he would be more discreet about his feelings for her. That's not to say he's not involved with the death eaters. How would he have known about the articles? Do you think Emma let something slip?"

"No, definitely not. She was very careful."

"Either way, we should definitely be careful around him. You'll have to continue to act like you like him, or else he may get suspicious. Especially if he's involved in all this."

"Yes, I'd already thought of that. Just please don't make me go on a date with him again."

"We'll avoid that at all costs, I don't want to have to sit through that again either," he shuddered.

"I thought you had a big head, but you're downright humble compared to him," Hermione joked.

"Gee, thanks Granger," He said rolling his eyes.

Laughing, she said "I'm going to get out of this dress, and then watch some telly. You can join me if you'd like."

"Join you in what? Watching tv, or getting you out of that dress?"

"Television, Malfoy" She said, deadpanned.

"Hey, it was a legitimate question. After all, you did need help getting into the dress, it's only logical you would need help getting out of it," He said, smirking.

She responded by rolling her eyes and walking into her room. Draco shook his head and then went into his own room to get changed. Earlier in the week they had converted the office into a bedroom for him, seeing as this arrangement was looking more and more long-term. They moved the desk into the living room. He quickly changed into sweats and a green t-shirt, and went back to the living room where he found Granger sitting on the couch. He could hear a faint popping, and realized she was making popcorn. He grabbed the bowl of popcorn and joined her on the couch. They spent the night making fun of cheesy movies. Neither of them wanted to admit it, but every day they were getting closer and closer to becoming friends.


	9. Girl's Day Disaster

Hello all! I hope you've been enjoying the story so far. It seems that my writers block has finally gone away. I punched this chapter out in just a couple hours. Thanks for reading, and once again, please REVIEW!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter 9 – Girl's Day Disaster

Draco yawned as he listened to Granger and Weaselette prattle on about irrelevant things. He had somehow got dragged along on a "girl's day" shopping tripping. He was still unclear on how it happened. One minute he was sitting comfortably on the couch, blissfully tuning the girls out as Granger recounted her "date", and the next he was being dragged out the door.

"I really think you two will be fine on your own," He said, thinking he could get out of it. "Maybe Potter can go with you. Granger and I could really use some time apart anyway."

"Nice try, Malfoy, but Harry is working. And what about all that nonsense of taking your job seriously, and having to protect me all the time. You know you can't let us go alone," She reminded him, with an evil grin. He glared at her. He was astounded by how much she was enjoying this. Sometimes he really thought she should have been placed in Slytherin.

"If you two would finish bickering or whatever it is you're doing, can we please go? It's not exactly comfortable just standing around when you're eight and a half months pregnant," Ginny interrupted.

"Weasley, if you're that uncomfortable just standing, maybe you shouldn't even go. " Draco tried one last time to get out of going.

"No, I'll be fine once I get moving. Let's just go." She stated, stepping into the fireplace. Granger smirked at him one last time and then she too disappeared in the green flames. He considered just staying home, but knew it would put Granger in jeopardy, as well his job. _Mostly my job…who cares about Granger? Not me, that's for sure. Right?_ Before he could think about it too hard, he followed the women to Diagon Alley.

And that was how Draco came to be sitting in a small tea shop as the girls chattered away. He was sincerely hoping Ginny would get tired out quickly, so they could leave. He was even thinking about trying to make her do more stuff so she would get tired faster.

"Malfoy!" Granger half shouted.

"What? I'm sitting right next to you, no need to shout my ear off, witch!" he exclaimed.

"Obviously there was. We called your name three times. We're ready to go."

"Oh! Well, it's been fun," he stated sarcastically, "but if you're ready, then alright."

"No, we mean to the next store. Hermione wants to stop at Flourish & Blotts."

"No surprise there," He rolled his eyes "just try not to take forever. I'd like to get out of there before I turn 80."

"Shut it Malfoy! I would stop with the comments if I were you. After all, if you're good then maybe we'll go to Quality Quidditch Supplies."

"Oh goody," he muttered sullenly.

Although it was evident by the gleam in her eyes that she could have stayed there for hours, Hermione only stayed in the bookstore for a few minutes. After that they headed to the Quidditch shop so the day wouldn't be a complete disaster for Malfoy. Although she had to admit, she was having fun torturing him. She was even acting especially girly just to irk him. On the way there they saw Evan walking into the apothecary. Hermione quickly ducked behind Malfoy in case Evan glanced their way. Luckily he didn't and they continued on their way to the Quidditch shop, where Malfoy marveled at the newest broom model, The Lightning Bolt. It was the newest model in the Firebolt line.

"Why don't you just buy it?" Ginny asked. "We all know you can afford it."

"I like it, but my Nimbus is still in good shape, and I still like it better than any new one. I don't need a new flashy model, when the one I have is perfect" He looked at The Lightning Bolt one last time, then went on to the next store, which just so happened to be a robe shop. At first it wasn't so bad seeing as he needed some new robes anyway, but after half an hour he was more than ready to go. He didn't understand what else they could be looking at. It was just a robe shop, for Merlin's sake. Granger barely even wore robes, she preferred muggle clothes. Obviously, it was a female thing. Glancing out the window, he thought he saw Blaise walk by.

"I just saw Blaise. I'll be back in five minutes. Try not to get yourself killed while I'm gone." He told Granger.

"Malfoy's been pretty bearable today," Ginny mused as she looked through a rack of maternity robes. "He's actually been somewhat nice, carrying my bags and all that." All day, he had refused to let Ginny carry anything.

"I've found that if I leave him to his own devices he isn't so bad. He's been quite obsessed with muggle television lately. He had never heard of it before. It's kind of like when I introduced it to Ron, except Malfoy actually likes _good_ shows. Last night we watched Doctor Who, Malfoy's reactions to it were hilarious. He says it's ridiculous, yet he keeps wanting to watch it. It was actually kind of fun" she said, smiling.

"Aww, you two are friends."

"I wouldn't say that. We've just learned how to deal with each other and decided to make the most of our situation. He's living at my flat, I can't just act like he's not there, or argue all the time."

"There's nothing wrong with being friends with him, Mione."

"I know. Try telling Ron that." She said, sad for the loss of one of her best friends. She'd been trying to avoid thinking of him, but she did miss him, and the more she got along with Malfoy, the more she missed him. Even after they broke up, they were still very close, and it hurt her to think that he didn't trust her. After all these years, it was clear that he still didn't know her.

"Yes, well, we all know Ron can be a git. He'll come around eventually. And if he doesn't, then it's his loss. I'm his sister, but even I can see he's wrong in this case." Ginny reassured.

"Yes, I- what was that?" Hermione asked, turning to the window. It was silent for a moment, and then there were screams, and people running in every direction. Diagon Alley was being attacked. Death Eaters were swarming the streets. Their black cloaks and masks immediately caused panic. Their numbers were alarming.

"We have to get out of here," Hermione exclaimed, pulling out her wand.

"There's no fireplace in here." Ginny said. "And I can't apparate."

"Anti-apparation wards are probably in place anyway. Are you sure there's no fireplace? Maybe in the backroom?

"Yes, I was in here a couple months ago, and asked if I could use their floo. They said they didn't have a fireplace."

"Alright, we'll have to try to wait it out. I'll put some wards up to try to keep them out, we can sit behind the counter so they won't see us." She conjured a cushion for Ginny to sit on, and got to work on the protective wards. She just hoped it would be enough. She was trying to stay calm for Ginny, she knew that high stress could cause labor, especially so late into the pregnancy, but she also knew the reality of their situation. They needed to get out of there. She thought about sending a patronus to Harry, but didn't want to risk giving up their position. Looking out the window she saw pure chaos. People were screaming and running to safety. Curses were flying every which way. She desperately wanted to fight, but knew that she couldn't leave Ginny.

Ginny sat on the cushion Hermione conjured for her, and watched in horror as innocent witches and wizards were being terrorized. Curses were flying back and forth as some fought back to give others the chance to escape. She wished she could fight with them, but knew she had to keep her baby safe, and if that meant sitting on the floor of a robe shop for hours then she would. She was just glad she didn't bring Teddy with her today like she originally planned. He'd already been through enough.

Draco ran towards the robe shop, but didn't make it far before a Death Eater appeared in front of him. He quickly stunned the man, and binded his hands and feet so he could be picked up by the Aurors once they arrived. He didn't make it much further before several more Death Eaters appeared. He was surrounded, and what was worse, they recognized him. Death Eaters hated him even more than the people on the light side did. It was five to one. _This might be tricky._

Hermione and Ginny continued to watch the atrocities through the window. It had been an hour since the attacks first began. The street was starting to empty. Most people had gotten away, while many were wounded. Hermione wondered where the Aurors were. She also wondered where Malfoy was. He couldn't have gotten far before the attacks started. She hoped he wasn't hurt.

"The Aurors should be here soon," she assured Ginny. "We're going to be fine."

Just as she said that, the Death Eaters noticed the untouched robe shop. At first, it seemed as if they just wanted to vandalise it, but once they realized how heavily warded it was, they were determined to get inside.

"They found us. We're going to have to fight," Ginny said determinedly.

"You stay here as long as you can. I can handle them."

"Hermione, there are six of them. I'm not letting you fight them alone. We'll take them by surprise. We can probably stun two of them as soon as they walk in the door."

"Alright, but as soon as you get the chance I want you to run to the Leaky Cauldron as fast as you can and use the floo, don't worry about me. I'll be right behind you."

"Okay," the red headed witch agreed.

"Promise me." Hermione said, knowing the fierceness of Ginny's loyalty.

"I promise."

The girls readied themselves and a few seconds later the Death Eaters broke through the wards. They waited until the men were inside, and then quickly stood, firing stunners as they did. They each hit their target. Ginny was even able to stun two men before they reacted. After that, an intense battle ensued.

"STUPEFY!" Hermione shouted. The death eater deflected it.

"CRUCIO!" he shouted.

"Protego" Hermione shielded herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Ginny was still holding her own.

"Incendio!" She said, aiming at his robes. He wasn't quick enough to shield it, and his robes went up in flame. Being so distracted by the fire, Hermione was able to stun him.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ginny screamed. Hermione looked over to her, and stunned the man Ginny had been fighting. The other Death Eater took his chance.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Hermione saw it as if in slow motion, she knew she wasn't going to be fast enough. The green light was coming toward her…and then she felt it. The shield charm. The charm was so strong that the curse deflected off of it and hit the Death Eater square in the chest.

"I only asked you to go five minutes without getting killed, and this is what I walk in on?"

"Now is not the time for your smart ass comments Malfoy," Ginny screamed at him. "Stinging hex, early labor. The baby is coming," she said breathing heavily.

Hermione and Draco looked at each other for a moment, and then Hermione jumped into action "Ginny, we have to get you to St. Mungo's. We need to get to the Leaky Cauldron."

They ran as quickly as they could, with Ginny in the front, Hermione right behind her, and Draco bringing up the rear, taking out as many Death Eaters as he could. Hermione shot jinxes and curses as quickly as she could at any approaching Death Eaters. The Leaky Cauldron was just down the street from the robe shop. They made it there quickly, all things considered. Lucky for them, it was empty. Ginny headed straight for the fireplace.

"Go on, we'll be right behind you," Hermione assured her. Ginny grabbed some floo powder, threw it in, and disappeared in the green flames. After she left, Hermione turned to Draco,

"Don't you think it's strange that this place is empty?"

"Yes, but honestly, I don't care. Let's get out of—"He was interrupted by a flash of orange light, and Hermione's immediate screams. She was clawing at her skin as if she was trying to tear it off. He had never seen anything like it before. Scanning the room, he saw the Death Eater hidden in the corner. He sent a stunner, but the Death Eater dodged it.

A bolt of orange light headed toward him, he deflected it, and sent a rapid fire succession of jinxes in reply. The Death Eater threw up a shield charm, but Draco kept hitting it with jinx after jinx, most of them harmless, until the shield came down. Then he threw the nastiest curse he could think of.

"SECTUMSEMPRA!" He shouted. Judging by the agony filled moans, he knew he hit his mark. He lifted the curse after a moment, and then paralyzed the man with a "petrificus totalus" so he would be stuck feeling that agonizing pain until someone found him.

He quickly swept Hermione into his arms, shouted "'S!", and swirled through the many grates until he arrived at the hospital. Granger had passed out from the pain. Her skin was hot to the touch, and he was genuinely worried for her. He'd never seen her react so badly to a curse before, even when his Aunt Bellatrix tortured her in their parlor. He rushed her to the front desk, ignoring all the protests of those in line. The receptionist quickly sent them to the fourth floor, and a Healer immediately got to work.

"What happened sir?"

"She was hit with some sort of curse. I don't know what it was, but it was orange, and afterward she was screaming in pain and clawing at her skin."

"Alright, we will do our best, but I'm afraid you cannot come any further." She said as they wheeled Hermione into a room.

Draco paced back and forth as he anxiously awaited news of Granger's condition. He wondered if the Aurors had ever arrived to Diagon Alley. He wondered how many casualties there were. He wondered why the Death Eaters attacked. He wondered if Granger was going to be alright. He wondered what that curse could have been. He wondered how Ginny was doing. He wondered if Potter knew that his wife was in labor yet. He wondered what was taking so long. Once again, he wondered if she was okay. He couldn't get that scream out of his head.

"Mr. Malfoy?"

He turned around to see the Healer. He couldn't tell by her expression if she came bearing good news or bad, so he steeled himself for the worst.

"Miss Granger was hit by the Blood Boiling curse. Basically it causes the blood to heat up until it comes to a boil, burning from the inside out. Luckily, you brought her here so quickly we were able to reverse the effects of the curse. She will need to stay overnight for observation, but she will make a full recovery. She is awake now, if you would like to see her."

"Thank you," he said. He was relieved. He told himself it was only because of his job, but a small part of himself admitted it was because he was starting to care for her. She was growing on him.

He walked through the door to her room, and saw her lying in the bed. She was extremely pale and weak looking. Her eyes were closed, and for a minute, he thought she was asleep, but then she spoke,

"Thank you…Draco" she said, weakly. It clearly took a lot just to speak.

"You're welcome." He awkwardly replied.

"How—" she cleared her throat, "How is Ginny?"

"I haven't heard yet. I've been waiting to see how you were first."

"Could you check on her please?"

"Yes. I'll be right back. And Granger? This time really try not to get yourself killed while I'm gone." He said jokingly, as he walked out of the room.

He eventually found Ginny's room. He knocked twice.

"Come in," her voice sounded from the other side of the door. He walked in and saw that Mrs. Weasley was in there as well.

"Hello there, Draco. Ginny tells me you were a great help today."

"Oh, I didn't do much," he brushed it off "how are you doing? Is the baby okay?"

"Yes, he'll be fine. Harry should be here soon, he's finishing up in Diagon Alley. The worst is over now. Where's Hermione?"

"She's…well, right after you went through the floo, she was cursed. She's alright, but the Healer wants her to stay the night, and she's too weak at the moment to come visit."

"How did that happen? I thought she was right behind me?"

"She was, but the Death Eater was hiding in the corner. The curse came out of nowhere. Don't worry though, he suffered a similar fate." He said, darkly.

"I'm just glad Hermione is alright. The poor dear," Mrs. Weasley said. "Maybe I should go check on her. Ginny will you be alright for a few minutes?"

"Yes, Mum. Tell Hermione that I'm fine, and will keep her updated."

Draco walked back to Granger's room with Mrs. Weasley. It was a silent walk, but not uncomfortable. It's like she could tell that he needed some quiet after the long day he'd had.

Hermione visibly lit up when Mrs. Weasley entered. She endured all of Mrs. Weasley's fussing with a smile on her face. It was like having her own mum take care of her. Sometimes it was nice to be fussed over. Mrs. Weasley stayed for a few minutes longer and talked to Hermione about Ginny. She assured her that she would be updated as soon as the baby was born. However, she couldn't stay too long though, before she had to get back to Ginny. Harry stopped by later to check on her too. He told them that Diagon Alley was a mess. Building were burnt down, people were wounded and scared. 14 innocent people had been killed. 21 Death Eaters were killed. He told them how the Aurors had been called to several different places as decoys before they even heard about the Diagon Alley attacks. That was why it took so long to get there. This was an extremely well planned attack.

"Why weren't you with Ginny and Hermione, anyway?" Harry asked.

"I thought I saw Blaise, so I went out to greet him, but once I got out there he wasn't in sight. So I went down the street to see if he was in one of the shops, and then the attacks started. I tried to get back, but kept being attacked, you know how much the Death Eaters like me. Now I'm not even sure it was Blaise, it might've just been someone who looked like him."

"I see. Well, we can discuss it more later, when we're all better up for it. I better get back to Ginny now."

Draco and Hermione sat in a comfortable silence, with Hermione falling in and out of sleep. Two hours passed before a nurse came by to tell them that Ginny had delivered a healthy baby boy. Hermione talked her into letting her go visit as long as she stayed in the wheelchair. Draco and Hermione entered the room to see Ginny cradling a sleeping baby.

"Hermione, Malfoy, meet James Sirius Potter," Ginny proudly introduced him.

"Oh Gin, he's beautiful," Hermione said earnestly.

"Do you want to hold him?"

Hermione nodded and reached out for him. Ginny went to hand him over, but realized she couldn't quite reach. She was still too sore to move all that much.

"We can't reach," they laughed.

"I guess I'll just look at him for now, and hold him later." Hermione said with laughter still in her voice, but disappointment in her eyes.

"If only Harry was here, he would help, but he popped home real quick to get me some clothes."

"Merlin," Draco said, rolling his eyes, "give me the kid. I'll give him to Granger."

Ginny hesitated for a second, but then said "Just be careful. Make sure to hold his head."

"I know how to hold an infant," He snapped. He gently picked James up out of Ginny's arms and placed him in Hermione's.

Hermione looked down at the newest addition to the family. He looked so much like Harry. He already had a head full of jet black hair. He had Ginny's nose. She wondered what color his eyes were. "Hi James, I'm your Aunt Hermione. I'm so glad to finally meet you. " At that moment, he opened his eyes, and Hermione saw that he had Harrys emerald green eyes.

After a few more minutes of cooing, Hermione handed James back to Malfoy. He looked down at James and begrudgingly admitted that he was quite cute, not that he would ever say that out loud.

"Wow Malfoy, this is a strange sight to see." Harry laughed, walking into the room with a bag in one hand, and Teddy clutching the other one. "I didn't think you actually knew what a baby was."

He handed James back to Ginny. "Of course I do!" he snapped, once more. He was getting tired, and he was sick of them thinking just because he was a Slytherin he had no soul, or whatever it was they thought.

"Come on Malfoy, let's go." She could tell he was getting annoyed, and didn't want to ruin this moment, "Congratulations once again, he's beautiful."

"Thanks Mione," the two new parents chorused.

Draco wheeled Hermione back to her room. She got herself situated in the bed, as he attempted to get comfortable on the very hard chair.

"You don't have to stay, you know? I think I'll be safe here."

"Oh no, it's clear you'll get yourself killed if I'm not around."

"You're never going to let me live this down are you?"

"The curse part, sure. That wasn't either of our faults, but the part where you were almost avada kedavra'd and I had to save your ass? Never, Little Miss I Can Take Care of Myself." He said, smirking.

"One day you'll need _me _to save _your_ ass and then we'll be even."

"That may or may not be true, but until that day comes, I'm not letting you out of my sight."

"Okay," she said laughing slightly, "Goodnight Malfoy."

"Goodnight Granger."


	10. A Flood of Memories

Hello everyone! Thanks for reading so far, and a big thank you to those who added me to their favorites/alert list. It means a lot. A special thank you to bzsilver, DramioneFan120, Sophia Jane Marie, Ninja Potter, I M Sterling, and Serpentof Darkness for taking the time to review. Reviews really are incredibly motivating, and I would love to get more.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter 10 – A Flood of Memories

Hermione whimpered in her sleep. She was having a nightmare of the attack on Diagon Alley. She was lying on the ground in The Leaky Cauldron, screaming in agony as her blood literally boiled inside her veins. A Death Eater stood above her, laughing maniacally as she burned from the inside out. She looked over and saw Ginny and Draco on the ground beside her, both were dead. She couldn't tear her eyes away from them. She screamed again, but not from the physical pain.

"Granger, wake up, it's just a nightmare," Draco shook her awake.

Hermione woke up with a gasp. She was breathing heavily and her eyes teared up, as memories flooded her mind. Memories of yesterday, as well as the war. She remembered seeing Fred's lifeless body, as his family sobbed around him. She remembered Remus and Tonks lying side by side, never to see their son again. She remembered Hagrid carrying what appeared to be Harry's lifeless body out of the Forbidden Forest, and feeling as if she'd lost her own brother. The fear she felt over losing someone she loved rushed back to her. She felt as if she was camped out in one of those many forests all over again, dreading who's name she would hear on the wireless. It had been so long since she'd felt this way that she'd forgotten how to deal with it, so she let it consume her. It was always hardest at night when she was alone. Alone in the dark, with only her thoughts, her grief, and the fear to keep her company. Only, then she realized, she wasn't alone.

"It was just a nightmare, you're okay," Draco said, touching her shoulder. She seemed to snap out of her reverie at the contact, but she still wasn't her usual self.

"I felt the burning. It hurt beyond belief. You and Ginny were dead, and I felt the grief all over again. And the fear..." A single tear rolled down her cheek.

"It's alright, you're safe. Nothing happened to Weasley and I. There's nothing to fear," Draco assured.

"I can't lose anyone else…I won't. Not again." She said frantically.

"This won't be like last time. We're going to find those responsible and make them pay." He, too, was determined not to lose anyone else. "It will all be okay, but for now you need your rest. The nurse brought you a dreamless sleep potion earlier, but you were already asleep. Would you like it now?"

She nodded. Immediately after drinking it she visibly relaxed. Her eyes cleared, and he knew she was out of that state the nightmare had put her in. "Get some sleep, and in the morning you'll be able to go home," he said patting her shoulder. He had never seen this vulnerable side of Granger before. She was usually so strong and stubborn. On one hand it was disconcerting to see such a strong person so broken, but on the other, it was somewhat comforting to know that even the strongest of them all had weak moments. He turned to go back to his chair on the other side of the room.

"Don't go," she mumbled, grabbing his hand. She looked so vulnerable and scared that even he couldn't refuse. He summoned the chair closer to the bed, and got as comfortable as possible. For the rest of the night she slept peacefully. She never let go of his hand.

Draco couldn't sleep after that. At first it was because he wanted to make sure she was alright, but after a while he could tell the dreamless sleep potion had done what it was supposed to. She looked peaceful, but he couldn't get that haunted look in her eyes out of his head. He knew she'd gone through a lot during the war, they all had, but this was the closest he ever came to seeing just how much it affected her. He'd lost people during the war too, of course, but most of them had been deeply evil, sadistic people, and he knew the world was better off without them. Snape was the only person he truly grieved for. It came to no surprise to him to learn of Snape's true allegiance, subconsciously, he always knew Snape wasn't truly evil. He missed his father only because he was his father, but he knew Lucius belonged in Azkaban, and a large part of him was glad he would never get out. However, he was thankful that his Mother was cleared of all charges. In large part due to Potter's testimony that she saved his life. She was a large part of why he became an Auror. It was tough, especially with the public's opinion of his family, but after being forced to commit evil acts to save his family, he wanted to do some good for the world. If his Mother could risk her life for him, then the least he could do is show he was thankful, by following her footsteps. The attack today brought back these awful memories. He was actually glad to not be alone tonight. He lightly squeezed Granger's hand, and then drifted off to sleep.

And that was how Harry found them in the morning. While he was surprised at first, he wasn't too concerned. He knew that sometimes you just needed human contact. He turned to leave, but he must have made some noise, because he noticed that Hermione woke up.

"Harry?" she asked groggily.

"Hey. I was just seeing how you were doing. Go back to sleep." He said quietly.

"No, that's okay. I'm awake now." She said. Malfoy woke at the sound of her voice. That was when they noticed they were holding hands. They quickly jumped apart from each other, with a flush to their cheeks. Harry wasn't sure who looked more embarrassed.

"How are you feeling today?" Harry asked.

"I feel fine. I just want to go home, I have so much to do," she replied.

"Maybe you should take it easy today"

"Really, I'm fine. I need to get my article written."

"Well, alright if you're sure," Harry said, "I was thinking I could stop by later to discuss what happened yesterday. And before you say anything, don't worry about Ginny, it was her idea. She wants these people caught just as bad as we do."

"Okay, come by at lunch. I should be leaving here soon."

"I'll see you then," he said to her, nodding at Malfoy.

An hour later Hermione was comfortably settled in at home. She sat on the couch working on her article about the attack. She was too tired to sit at the desk. She was hoping to get it done quickly, but was still pretty weak. She didn't want to admit it, but that curse took a lot out of her. Also, she was still embarrassed about last night. It was rare for her to break down like that, but to do it in front of Malfoy? That was mortifying. They had barely said two words to each other since waking up this morning. He went to his room immediately after they got home, claiming he had some work to do. She couldn't get any work done, while thinking about it. Sighing, she realized if she wanted to be productive, she would have to talk to him. She summoned her Gryffindor courage and knocked on his door. After a moment, the door was pulled open. He looked at her expectantly.

"I-I wanted to talk to you. Would you like to join me for a cup of tea?"

He looked extremely uncomfortable, but tersely nodded. He followed her to the kitchen, where she proceeded to start making the tea. He could tell just by looking at her that she was still weak from the after effects of the curse.

"Sit down, Granger. I'll make it," he said, busying himself with the tea, delaying the dreaded conversation for a few more moments. Unfortunately he couldn't delay it any longer. They sat at the table sipping tea, looking anywhere but each other. Finally, Hermione broke the awkward silence,

"I- er- I wanted to apologize for last night. I'm sorry for losing control like that," she said embarrassedly. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

"It's alright. You had a stressful day." He said confidently, even though he felt anything but that.

"Thank you for…er…comforting me."

"I'm not as soulless as you lot seem to think I am. Just because I'm not a bleeding heart Gryffindor doesn't mean I'll sit idly by and let someone suffer." He was getting so sick of these people treating him like an evil creature. He knew he wasn't the warmest of people, but he thought he had proven himself to not be as cold as people thought. Apparently not.

"I don't think you're soulless. You've already proven that. It's just that you didn't have to help me, yet you did, and I want to say thank you. For last night, as well as for saving my life."

"You're welcome. But just because I saved your life doesn't mean I have to be nice to you now," he said, lightening the mood.

"Of course not. This doesn't change anything," she said smiling. But even as she said it, they both knew it had. She had let him in during one of her weakest moments, and he stood by her. That meant something, even if they weren't sure what that something was quite yet. They finished their tea in companionable silence and then she went back to work, and he went back to his room. They stayed that way until Harry arrived.

"Hi Harry. How are Ginny and James doing?" Hermione asked brightly.

"They are both doing great! They will be coming home tomorrow morning. Teddy is ecstatic to have a baby in the house. He's already trying to help take care of James."

"I'm glad to hear that you're all so happy," Hermione said, genuinely happy for her friend.

"I just wish that's what I was here to talk about," he said solemnly.

"As do I."

"Well, shall we get down to business? Where's Malfoy?"

"He's in his room, I'll go get him."

"I didn't realize he had his own room."

"We converted the office into a bedroom for him, seeing as this situation seems to be more long term than we originally hoped." Hermione replied as she walked down the short hallway and knocked on his door. "Harry's here," He opened the door and together they joined Harry in the living room. They all got situated, and then got to business.

"I've already heard several accounts of what happened yesterday, but I would like to know your version of events, if that's okay." Harry asked.

"Well as you know, Ginny and I decided to go shopping, so obviously Malfoy came along. We were there for about an hour and a half before it happened. We were in the robe shop. Malfoy left for a few minutes because he saw Blaise, then all the sudden we started hearing screams." Hermione continued to explain her version of events, and then Draco told his.

"I thought I saw Blaise walk by the robe shop, but when I went outside to greet him, he was nowhere in sight. I thought maybe he had gone into one of the shops, so I walked down the street a ways. I figured it must have just been someone who looked like him. I turned around to go back to Madam Malkins when Death Eaters apparated all over the street. I kept trying to go back, but the Death Eaters recognized me, and you know how they feel about me. I fought them off and ran back to the robe shop as fast as I could. I got there just as one of the Death Eaters fired the killing curse at Granger, I threw a shield charm around her, and the curse rebounded and hit him instead. You know the rest."

"Was there anything unusual before the attack?"

"No, not that I can thi-Wait! We saw Evan there!" Hermione interrupted herself. She couldn't believe she had almost forgotten that.

"When was that?" Harry asked.

"About 30 minutes before the attack began. I can't believe I almost forgot. Also, when we went out the other night he spoke heatedly about how much he hated Emma, and he knew that she was writing the Death Eater articles."

"Maybe we should put some surveillance on him," Draco suggested.

"Yes, that's a good idea. And you two can keep an eye on him while at The Daily Prophet."

"Have you heard anything about the Lestranges?" Hermione asked.

"We've had a couple reports of sightings, but haven't had any concrete evidence to lead to them. The sightings we've had, haven't been reported by what you would call credible sources, so unfortunately we don't have much to go on."

"I'm not sure they're behind this," Draco interjected. "They were always more the underling type. Neither of them were ever one to give orders, and honestly, I'm not sure if they're intelligent enough to lead this large of a group of Death Eaters without getting caught. Whoever the leader is, is extremely organized."

"That may be true, but revenge can be a strong motivation," Hermione countered "if they're seeking revenge for Bellatrix then who knows what they're capable of. Plus, they were always blood elitists, and with the deaths leading up to the attack yesterday, it makes sense that they might be behind it all."

"Don't get me wrong, I definitely think they're worth looking into, but I don't think we should rule anyone out in favor of them," Draco replied.

"I agree," said Hermione, "We don't have enough facts right now to rule anyone out."

"Alright, thanks for your help. I'll let you know if I find anything out," Harry said, "but for now I should get back to Ginny. I'll tell her you said hi, Hermione. Also, we'd like to have you to dinner in a few days, we have something we want to ask you."

"Sure, Harry. Give James and Teddy a kiss for me."

"I will. Bye, Malfoy."

"Later, Potter."

Harry turned on the spot, and with a pop he was gone. Hermione got back to work on her article, when a thought struck her.

"Malfoy?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think it odd that the attack happened as soon as we were separated? You don't think they know, do you?"

"To be honest, I wondered that too. But, no, I don't think they know. If they did, they would have found you faster, and done much worse to you. I think it was a coincidence. However, I do think they may be suspicious. After all, of all the reporters at the Daily Prophet, who better to write the Death Eater stories? You would be the logical choice. Perhaps we should start thinking of ways to throw them off your trail."

"Maybe it's time I quit my job." She had been thinking about this for a while, but was hoping it wouldn't come to that. However, after yesterday, she knew it was the only thing she could do.

Draco looked at her in surprise. He had never known Hermione Granger to run away from a fight.

"I only mean to the public. I would quit writing my political column for a while, and only write this one. I can work from home. The only thing I worry about is not being able to keep an eye on Evan." She said, biting her lip.

"Actually, that's a pretty good idea. They would never suspect you of writing the articles if you weren't even employed at The Daily Prophet. We can send out fake tips to gossip magazines to make sure word gets out that you left. As for Evan, don't worry about that, the Aurors will place sufficient surveillance on him."

"So it's settled then. I'll tell Lila tomorrow. I don't think she'll be too happy though. It's not going to be fun to be in the gossip magazines. Who knows what kind of rumours they'll come up with." She sighed.

"The more rumours, the better," He said, but even he couldn't have expected the things people would come up with.


	11. Bells Will Be Ringing

A/N: This chapter was originally written at Christmas. I wasn't planning on doing an xmas chapter, but then it just came to me, and to be honest writing it kind of helped me get through a really rough holiday season. I hope you all like it. Thank you to those who added me to their favorites/alerts or reviewed. It all means a lot to me. Enjoy!

Chapter 11 – Bells Will Be Ringing

It had been two weeks since the attack on Diagon Alley. Hermione got her article out quickly, describing the day, as well as mourning those who lost their lives. She also mentioned her own injury, and later on cited it as one of the reasons for taking a break from her political column, saying that the attack put some things in perspective and she decided to pursue her dream of owning a bookshop. She and Malfoy agreed that that would be believable enough, but not so believable that people wouldn't come up with their own theories. And boy were they right! Rumours were flying left and right. Hermione was always followed semi closely by the tabloids, but this attention was crazy. Rumours flew that she was unable to handle the stress of being a reporter, to her having a mental breakdown after the attack, to her secretly being engaged to Malfoy and quitting her job to become a proper wife of a pureblood, even to her having a secret love child that she had to care for. They couldn't believe some of the things people were coming up with. For the most part they were letting the rumours circulate, and in some cases even intensifying them. They went out more often, whether it was for dinner, drinks, or just on a walk. Their goal was to be in public as much as possible so the Death Eaters might start to believe some of the rumours. There was a picture of the two of them that accompanied many of the gossip articles. It was taken at a restaurant, Hermione would throw her head back in laughter, and Malfoy would lightly smile at her. There were several other pictures like this. They weren't faked. Hermione and Draco were getting along quite well. Both of their walls were starting to come down and they were getting more and more comfortable with each other. They found that if they let each other be themselves without any previous judgments on the others character getting in the way, that they actually enjoyed each other's company. While there was still some bickering, it wasn't nearly as much as previously, and for that everyone was grateful.

Earlier in the week, Hermione, and Draco by default, were invited to Harry and Ginny's for dinner. They all had a very nice time, and Hermione was overjoyed when they asked her to be James' Godmother. She went around hugging everyone (even Draco). Twice! After that, it was hard to pry James away from her.

A tail had been placed on Evan, but nothing had come of it yet. No other news regarding the Death Eaters had been found. The Aurors were still on the lookout for the Lestranges, but hadn't found anything yet. Hermione was starting to get restless. She just wanted some kind of clue, anything, but there was nothing. She kept thinking over the day of the attack, trying to remember anything suspicious, but apart from Evan's presence she couldn't think of anything. Ginny and Draco both told her that there was nothing. The three of them had pored over that day repeatedly, yet Hermione still had a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she couldn't let go of. This feeling was what had her sitting in the kitchen staring into a cup of tea at three in the morning on a late December night.

"It helps if you actually drink the tea," A voice said, making Hermione jump.

"You scared me," Hermione scolded.

"I could tell," he responded. Silence fell between them for a few moments until Draco spoke up.

"I know you're thinking about the attack. You're not going to find anything new, you've gone over that day hundreds of times. "

"I know," she replied, "I just have this nagging feeling that I'm missing something, but I can't figure out what it is."

"Sometimes you just have to stop thinking about it, and let it come to you."

"I guess you're right," She sighed. Getting up, she went over to the sink and poured out her cold tea. "I'm going to make some fresh tea, would you like some?"

"Yes, please"

She busied herself making tea, trying to stop thinking about the attack. She set a cup in front of him and joined him at the small table. They sipped their tea in companionable silence for a few minutes.

"Christmas is in a couple of days," Hermione suddenly declared.

"Good observation Granger. Shall I give you a cookie as a reward?"

"We haven't talked about it." She continued, ignoring his sarcasm.

"What's there to talk about? I assumed you would want to go to the Weasleys."

"Yes, I do, but I also go to my parents. Also, I was thinking we could separate for the day. I think I'll be fine on my own for one day, especially seeing as its Christmas."

"Evil doesn't stop for Christmas, Granger. I'll go with you to both places." He said, even though he wasn't too excited over the prospect of meeting her parents.

"But don't you have your own Christmas traditions?" She asked.

"I usually spend Christmas with my Mother, but I've already written to her and told her it wouldn't work this year. She understood."

Sometimes Hermione wished he wasn't so serious all of the time. She was sure she would be fine for one day, but he wouldn't even give her the benefit of the doubt. She didn't mind him coming with her on Christmas day, but she knew he would be uncomfortable, and would miss out on his own celebrations. There was only one thing she could do, and it was the last thing she wanted.

"We could go to your Mothers also," She suggested.

"Don't be silly, Granger."

"I'm not. Really, I wouldn't mind. I don't want you and your Mother to miss out on celebrating on my account. It's the least I could do."

"I will write to Mother and see what she says," he replied. He didn't know how the two women would react to each other and was unsure of having them meet, but he had to admit that it would be nice to spend the holiday with his Mother. Spending Christmas day together had always been their tradition, and it would be strange to not see her this year.

"Alright. Well, I think we should both get some sleep," She said, heading to her room. "Goodnight."

In the morning Draco wrote to his Mother. She responded immediately with a positive answer. It was then decided that they would go to Malfoy Manor in the morning, the Granger residence in the afternoon, and the Burrow in the evening. It was going to be a long day for both of them. The next two days passed by in a blur and before either of them knew it, Christmas day was upon them.

Draco woke to the sound of badly sung Christmas carols. He groaned and rolled over. In doing so, he caught a waft of cinnamon rolls. This was enough to entice him out of bed. Walking out to the kitchen he saw Granger dancing around singing carols as she baked. He ignored all the cheer and went straight for the coffee maker. After he got some coffee in his system he looked around. A small Christmas tree was in the corner of the living room with a pile of presents under it, garland was hung all around the place, and the whole flat smelled of cinnamon rolls. _Granger knows how to do Christmas_ he thought.

They were expected at Malfoy Manor at 9:00 for breakfast so they each only ate one cinnamon roll and then sat down to open presents. Hermione got her traditional knitted jumper from Mrs. Weasley, a basket of Weasley Wizard Wheezes products from the twins, a pair of dragon hide gloves from Charlie, a book of French recipes from Bill and Fleur along with a drawing of Hermione and her favorite niece from Victoire, a book on the importance of cauldron thickness from Percy (for some reason he thought this interested her), and the brand new edition of Hogwarts, A History from Harry and Ginny. There was nothing from Ron.

Draco got some dragon hide boots and a new set of robes from his Mother, a new broom polishing kit from Blaise, a pair of gloves from Pansy, and a knitted jumper with a dragon on it from Mrs. Weasley. That last gift was a surprise. Looking up, he saw that Granger was still opening gifts so he busied himself with inspecting his own gifts closer. A few minutes later he heard her sigh. She looked upset about something, but he didn't know what. She seemed to shake whatever thought she had out of her head, and looked at him.

"Happy with your gifts?" She asked, smiling.

"Yes, you?"

"Yes," She said, "but you missed one." She reached around the tree and pulled out a small wrapped box. She handed it to him, and he looked at it suspiciously before carefully opening it. Inside the box he found a ferret ornament for the tree. Hermione dissolved into laughter.

"I hope you like it," she said, trying to hold back her laughter.

"It's wonderful," he said sarcastically, glaring at her. But there was a small smile playing on his lips. He summoned something from his bedroom, and handed it to her. Now it was Hermione's turn to look at the package suspiciously. She carefully pulled off the wrapping paper and saw a book entitled _100 Beauty Secrets for the Fashionably Inept_. She glared at him, and he smirked back.

"I thought you might find this useful," he asserted.

"Thanks. Would you like to hang your ornament?" She asked sweetly.

"I'd love too, but I should really go get ready for breakfast at the manor." He said "disappointedly".

Hermione chuckled as she gathered her things and went to her room to get ready. An hour later they were both ready to leave. Draco was surprised when Hermione stepped out of her room wearing a nice set a midnight blue robes. He rarely saw her wear anything but Muggle clothes. Hermione didn't think Mrs. Malfoy would approve of Muggle clothing, and she wanted to make this visit as painless as possible.

"Are you ready?"

She nodded.

"We'll have to side-along, otherwise you won't be able to get past the wards." He said, offering his arm. She stepped up to him and in a moment they were gone. They appeared on the front step of the manor. Hermione took a deep breath as they stepped through the doorway. Memories of the war were coming back to her, specifically being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange in this very house. She was finding it harder to breathe as Draco led her to the sitting room.

Draco noticed that Hermione appeared to be having some problems, and he thought he knew why.

"The entire manor has been remodeled and redecorated since you were…last here," He said delicately, "The drawing room was completely remodeled and is no longer in use."

After he told her this, she started to notice that it did in fact look different. Rich golds and creams made up most of the décor, and light was pouring in from the high windows. This was a drastic change from the dark mahoganies and reds that made up the décor before. She started to calm down.

"Draco, I'm so glad to see you," Narcissa Malfoy greeted, as she elegantly entered the sitting room. She gave Draco a brief, but warm hug.

"Miss Granger, nice to meet you," She said.

"You too Mrs. Malfoy. Happy Christmas." Hermione greeted in return. "Thank you for inviting me into your home."

"You are most welcome."

Narcissa Malfoy was not the cold woman most people believed her to be. She had a hard exterior after years of closing off her emotions in order to protect her family. The war and the years leading up to it had been hard on her. She had always believed the Dark Lord to be a fraud and never wanted to join his ranks, but unfortunately her husband did not feel the same. Once Lucius joined, she had no choice but to adopt a cold manner to the outside world. After that, all she cared about was protecting Draco. After the war ended, she returned to being herself, at least in the comfort of her own home, and a select few people. Also, contrary to popular belief she didn't hate Muggles and Muggleborns. To her, Hermione Granger was a perfect example of why Muggleborns should be accepted into society. However, she had to admit that she still wasn't that fond of Muggles, but much of that came from the way she was raised, as well as ignorance. She had never even had a conversation with a Muggle before, so she couldn't really say what they were like.

"Shall we dine?" she asked, leading the way to the dining room.

A large table was filled with food. There was every kind of breakfast food imaginable. It was equal to a Hogwarts feast.

"Mother, you've really outdone yourself this year," Draco said.

"I was so delighted when you wrote to tell me we could spend Christmas together after all that I couldn't resist."

"It looks delicious Mrs. Malfoy." They sat down to eat.

"Draco, did you like the gifts I sent?" She asked, as she delicately filled her plate.

"Yes Mother. I really needed a new set of robes, and I'm wearing the boots now. Thank you."

"Good, I'm glad you liked them. What else are you two doing today?"

"We're going to Granger's parents and then to the Weasleys."

"Unless you'd like to spend the whole day with your Mother, Malfoy. I'm sure I can manage on my own for a few hours." She tried one more time.

"We already had this discussion Granger, the answer is no."

"There's no use fighting him Miss Granger. Draco has always been extremely serious about his job and his schoolwork. He used to come home ranting and raving about how you beat him out for first place in school. It was "Granger this" and "Granger that", sometimes it was all he would talk about. "

"Wow Malfoy, I never knew you cared so much," she said chuckling. He rolled his eyes, but there was a very faint pink tint to his cheeks.

"So Mother, what have you been up to?" he asked, effectively changing the subject.

"I've spent a lot of time planning the Ministry's annual New Years Eve ball. It's set to be the best one yet." She said proudly.

"I've gone to that every year, I didn't know you planned it!" Hermione exclaimed.

"The ministry hires me every year to plan it. Being the wife of a high society pureblood has made me quite good at planning events. The Ministry started asking for my help after attending one of my galas, and now I plan the entire thing. You two are going, aren't you?"

"I'm not sure," they said in unison.

"Why ever not?"

"Things have been busy lately. Besides, I just don't think it will work with our situation."

"Unfortunately I agree. If either of us gets a date then it's awkward for the other, if we both have dates it's awkward for all of us."

"You could go together."

"I hadn't thought of that." Hermione said thoughtfully. Showing up to the ball together might work in her favor because it would fuel the rumours. "It wouldn't be an actual date of course, it would be just as if we were both going stag…but together."

"I don't know Granger. I've seen you dance, and I'd rather not have broken toes by the end of the night." Draco teased.

"I'll have you know that I am an excellent dancer. Besides, we wouldn't even have to dance."

"Then it's settled, you'll go to the ball together." Narcissa said excitedly.

Draco and Hermione stayed at Malfoy Manor until noon, at which point they went back to the flat to get ready to go to the Grangers. Hermione had a surprisingly nice time at the Manor. She found Narcissa to be a lot warmer and easier to talk to than she expected. She wouldn't mind seeing her again.

"Mother likes you," Draco observed, as they walked from the alley they apparated into to the Granger residence. "She's usually more reserved with people she just met."

"Maybe she felt as if she already knew me, seeing as you apparently talked about me so much," she teased, winking as she walked up the walkway to her childhood home.

"Trust me, there's no way she could have come up with a favorable opinion of you from the things I said," he said in return.

"Don't worry, I said some pretty nasty things about my parents to you too. I doubt they have a favorable impression." She said, entering the house. Draco followed, with a somewhat worried expression on his face.

"Mum! Dad!" Hermione shouted.

"In the kitchen, Dear." A woman's voice replied.

Draco followed Hermione into the kitchen. The little bit of the house he saw was nice. It wasn't as opulent as the manor, but it was spacious, yet cozy. He could picture Granger growing up here. They entered the kitchen and were confronted with a middle age muggle couple. Granger looked just like her mother, but she had her Father's eyes.

After a quick greeting, Hermione introduced Malfoy to her parents.

"Mum, Dad, this is Draco Malfoy. He's an auror who's been helping me with an assignment I've been working on."

"An auror? Isn't that like the police? What do you need police help for?" Her father asked sharply.

"Well…he's kind of like a…bodyguard. But don't worry, it's really more of a precautionary measure."

"Don't put yourself in danger, Mione." Her father warned.

"Darling, you're forgetting your manners. It's nice to meet you Draco." Elizabeth Granger said.

"It's nice to meet you as well, Mrs. Granger," Draco said, politely shaking her hand.

"Please, call me Elizabeth. If I'm not mistaken, you went to school with Hermione, is that right?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"Ah yes, I remember hearing about you," John Granger interjected. "I'm John Granger, you can call me Dr. Granger."

"Yes sir. Nice to meet you." Hermione almost laughed at Malfoy's reaction to her father.

"Daddy, be nice. He's not so bad anymore."

"I'll be the judge of that."

A tense silence followed.

"Hermione, why don't you give Draco a tour of the house?" Elizabeth asked. It was clear that John was in for a scolding.

"Sure, follow me."

They stepped out of the kitchen, and sure enough they could hear quiet but fierce whispers. Hermione chuckled.

"Sorry about my dad, he can be a bit overprotective."

"I noticed. He really doesn't like me. What did you tell them about me?"

"Well, I would complain about you a lot for making fun of me, and being evil incarnate. You know, normal stuff. Anyway, don't worry, he'll warm up."

"I hope so." Malfoy said, under his breath.

"So anyway this is my favorite room. The library." The whole room was made up of bookshelves, with every single space taken up by a book. "Most of these are mine, but my parents like to read as well. This used to be a parlor, but my book collection grew so large that we had to find some place other than my bedroom for them all."

"It's nice, but you should see the library at the manor. There are more books than you can imagine."

"You're telling me that we were there for hours and you didn't tell me there was a library?"

He chuckled, "Maybe I'll take you back there one day, and you can spend the entire day in the library."

"You better."

"Hermione! Draco! Lunch is ready!" Elizabeth called.

They entered the dining room and both internally groaned at the amount of food set out on the table. Their stomachs were probably going to explode by the end of the day, with all the food they were being given. They sat down at the table, and made small talk. John mostly ignored Draco, but when he did speak to him he was much warmer than previously. Draco and Hermione ate as much as they could, and then pushed food around on their plates to make it look like they ate more.

"Shall we go to the sitting room?" Elizabeth asked. They all followed her to the sitting room. Elizabeth went to the tree and picked up two wrapped boxes from under it.

"These are for you, Mione. Happy Christmas!" Elizabeth said.

Hermione tore the wrapping off like a small child and gasped as she opened the box. Inside lay a beautiful cream colored gown. It was floor length with a cut out back and slight v in the front. Hermione had never seen a prettier dress. She opened the other box to find matching shoes.

"We know how much you dislike dress shopping, and I saw this in a shop window and thought it would be perfect for the New Year's ball you go to every year."

"It's beautiful, Mum. I love it! Thank you," she said, hugging each of them.

They stayed there for another hour. John warmed up to Draco and started asking him how wizards cared for their teeth. He found it fascinating, while Draco found the Muggle methods he used to be terrifying. He couldn't believe they would drill their teeth! However, all in all, it was a good time. Draco had a fairly nice time, after the initial meeting, that is. They had some time to kill before they were expected at the Burrow, so they went back to the flat, where they both fell asleep.

Waking up, Hermione saw that they were expected at the Burrow fifteen minutes ago.

"Malfoy! Wake up!" she said banging on his door, "We're late, get ready quickly."

She ran into her room, threw her traditional Weasley jumper on, ran a brush through her hair, and hastily pulled her shoes on. Running out to the living room she saw Malfoy sitting on the couch, looking as calm as ever. But there was something off.

"You're not wearing your jumper." She stated.

"Your powers of observation amaze me," he drawled.

"Yes, yes I know, I pointed out the obvious. My point is that, you have to wear it. It's tradition."

"It's a nice sentiment, but they can't really expect me to wear it. It's not really…my style."

"If she made you one, you have to wear it."

He rolled his eyes, and pulled the jumper over his head. They apparated to the burrow and were swallowed in a mass of knitted jumpers. They got warm greetings, mostly directed toward Hermione, from everyone except Ron, who firmly ignored the both of them, and they ignored him in return.

"Oh Draco, I'm so glad you like the jumper." Mrs. Weasley said, greeting him with a hug.

"Yes, thank you very much for the gift." He said politely.

Victoire was again quite taken with Draco. She insisted on sitting by him at dinner, which meant that naturally Teddy sat with them as well. He created a Quidditch game out of his food to entertain them, but he kept eating the quaffle before either team could score. The children found this hilarious. Draco actually had a soft spot for children, maybe because he was an only child and didn't have many friends in his early years. However, he would never admit this. It might ruin his reputation as a bad ass, and that simply couldn't happen. It suddenly got quiet, except for the sounds of Victoire and Teddy's laughter. He looked up and saw everyone looking at him and his little game.

"Er…game over. Victoire's team wins." He suddenly announced. The little girl was ecstatic to hear this, and soon everyone was laughing at her exclamations of joy. All in all the night was filled with joy and laughter, and Draco had to admit that he thoroughly enjoyed this Christmas. Hermione thought it just might be the best one she's had yet, and was thankful for all her friends and family. They were both thinking that maybe their situation wasn't so bad after all.


	12. New Year's Eve

A/N: This is my favorite chapter so far. I hope you all like it as much as I do. Thanks again for the reviews and alerts, it's greatly appreciated. I love to hear feedback, so please review.

Chapter 12 – New Year's Eve

Hermione looked at herself in the mirror once more. Her face was done up with light natural looking make up, with some light silver eyeshadow. Her russet curls were put up in a loose updo bun, with a few tendrils framing her face. Her eyes moved down to her dress. She couldn't stop admiring it. It was a creamy silver-like color, with thin straps. The front had a slight V, the back was cut low showing her long spine and toned shoulders, it was tight to the hips, and then it flowed to the floor. Her heels were the same color with small rhinestones on the strap over the toes. It was by far the prettiest dress she ever wore, and what's more, she felt amazing in it.

She was strangely excited about the ball tonight. Not that she didn't usually enjoy herself, but it was usually more like an obligation. This year, she was kind of looking forward to it. Maybe it was the dress. Or maybe it was the date. Not that she would admit the latter as a possibility. As she finished getting ready she thought about the New Year, and the possibilities it held. There was always a charge in the air on New Year's Eve. The energy of possibility and the excitement of the unknown. A new year was a chance to start over, to change the things you wanted to change, to go for the things you were too afraid of before, and to find the courage to pursue your dreams. Hermione didn't know what the year would hold in store for her, but she had a feeling it would be eventful, and hopefully rewarding. She scrutinized her reflection once more, and turned away. She picked up her shawl and clutch and met Draco in the living room. He looked more handsome than she had ever seen him. He wore navy blue dress robes. His hair fell sexily into his eyes. Eyes that roamed over her body, making her blush.

"You look…" _Here it comes,_ she thought to herself, _the insult_, "beautiful." She looked at him in surprise, and blushed even more. Not once had he ever complimented her before. He looked somewhat surprised at his admission as well, but the look was quickly replaced with a confident expression.

"Thanks Malfoy. You clean up pretty nicely yourself." She said more confidently than she felt. For some reason she was nervous tonight, but she couldn't figure out why. _It's not like this is an actual date, we're just friends,_ she thought. Little did she know, Draco was nervous too.

"We better go, or else we'll be late. The gossipmongers will be going bonkers tonight as is, we wouldn't want to give them anything else to speculate on" Draco stated.

"You're right," Hermione said as she wrapped her shawl around her. "I'm ready if you are."

"Just one more thing before we go," he said, smirking "You used the book I gave you, didn't you?" She just hit him lightly in the arm, and disapparated. He quickly followed, laughing lightly.

"In response to your question," she said as soon as he appeared, "no I did not use your book. I don't need a book to make myself look good." She walked away, swinging her hips. He watched her walk away for a second, and then caught up to her. He needed to get a hold of himself.

They joined the short queue to enter the ballroom. The wizarding world was old-fashioned and always announced people at balls. Draco was used to it so it didn't bother him, but Hermione hated being in the spotlight. She wished they would do away with that social custom. As they neared the front of the line, Draco offered her his arm. She gladly accepted it, happy to have someone with her.

"Ready?" Draco asked. He knew she hated being the center of attention, unless of course it was to answer a question. He attended this ball every year and always noticed how tense she was when they announced her.

"Ready as I'll ever be," She responded.

"Miss Hermione Granger, and Mr. Draco Malfoy." The announcer said as they stepped through the entranceway. The photographers went crazy as they posed for the necessary photos. Hermione noticed some of the guests gawking at them, wondering why they were there together.

They made their way past the photographers and Hermione finally got to see the ballroom. It was mesmerizing. Fairy lights filled the room, creating the only light. The ceiling was enchanted to lightly snow, but melt before it touched anything. The whole room was filled with silver and periwinkle blue accents. It looked like an ice castle. Hermione was always impressed at the elegance of the decorations, but knowing that Narcissa was behind it all impressed her even more. They made their way to their table and found they were seated with Harry, Ginny, Neville, Luna, Blaise, and Pansy. Hermione greeted and hugged her friends. Draco hugged Pansy and greeted the rest of the occupants.

"Hermione," Blaise greeted, smoothly kissing the back of her hand. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Blaise, you already know your charms don't work on me," Hermione scolded. She turned to the witch by his side. "Hello Pansy, how are you?"

"I'm well Granger, and you?" She asked politely, with no sarcasm in her voice.

"I'm well also." She said, sitting down in the chair Draco pulled out for her.

"Pansy, what brings you home?" Draco asked. He was genuinely glad to see the girl. They had been friends since they were small children, but since she moved to France, they didn't get as many chances to talk.

"I had some work to attend to, and since I was here, Blaise asked me to accompany him tonight." Blaise and Pansy weren't a couple, but they would often attend social events together. Draco suspected that there may be something between them that they wouldn't acknowledge, but he wasn't one to pry.

"Harry, Ginny, how is James? I hope you haven't seen any wrackspurts around him," Luna asked in her dreamy voice. She was the same as ever, just as innocent and insightful as always. She always found the bright side in things. She and Neville had been dating for three years now. They really were the perfect couple.

"James is great. Tonight is my first night away from him though, it's strange not having him near." Ginny replied nervously. Harry put his arm around her reassuringly.

"Oh Gin, you know your mother will take good care of him. She could probably care for an infant with her eyes closed by now." Hermione said comfortingly.

"You're probably right," Ginny said chuckling.

The table lapsed into an awkward silence that was saved by the Minister of Magic calling for everyone's attention. He gave a short speech to welcome everyone to the ball and talk about the successes of the past year, and the opportunities for the new one. The speech concluded with light applause. Then dinner was served. Throughout dinner the odd group came to be more comfortable with each other, and the awkward silences became fewer and farther between. By the time the dancing started they were chatting amicably. Neville and Luna were the first disappear to the dance floor. Soon after, Draco and Hermione were the only ones left sitting at the table. She looked wistfully at the dance floor.

"Would you like to dance, Granger?" Draco asked.

"You don't have to. I know this isn't a real date, you don't have to be nice to me."

"Just because it's not a date doesn't mean we can't try to have a nice time. So I repeat, would you like to dance?"

"Well, when you put it that way, yes," She responded, taking his proffered hand. He led her out to the dance floor.

"Try not to break my toes with those elephant feet of yours," he teased, smirking.

"Keep smirking, and I may just do it on purpose," she replied sweetly.

He spun her around gracefully and then pulled her back close to him. He was surprised by her grace, he wondered where she learned to dance. He learned because his mother insisted that every man should know how to dance properly. After seeing Potter "dance" at the Yule Ball in fourth year, he agreed with her.

Hermione was glad to be dancing with someone who actually knew what he was doing. She loved to dance, and took as many dance classes as she could during her summer breaks from school. She particularly loved waltzing.

Their dancing attracted surprised looks from their friends. No one knew Hermione was such a skilled dancer. She and Draco were a perfect match. He led and she followed flawlessly, as if she knew exactly what his next step would be. It was probably the only time in her life that she let someone else take the lead. They had no problem keeping pace with the fast music, as it swelled to a crescendo, and gradually came to an end. They looked at each other and smiled. They danced to another fast song, and then joined Harry and Ginny by the bar.

"Wow Mione, I knew you could dance, but I didn't know you could dance like that!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Oh, didn't I ever tell you I took lessons when I went home for summers? I love to dance." She said, taking the glass of champagne Draco handed her.

"I guess my terrible dancing skills outweighed your good ones," Harry joked. Everyone joked about his bad dancing, although in reality he really wasn't that bad. He was no where near as bad as Ron.

"Oh look, there's my Mother," Draco said, as the woman in question walked towards them.

"Draco, Miss Granger, I'm glad you decided to come tonight. I trust you're having a good time?" Narcissa Malfoy said as a greeting, smiling warmly.

"Oh yes, we are, but please, call me Hermione." Hermione said.

"Then feel free to call me Narcissa," the older woman replied.

"You've really outdone yourself Mother," Draco complimented.

"Thank you Draco. And how are you Mr. and Mrs. Potter? I saw the announcement of your son's birth in the paper. Congratulations."

"We are well, as is our son James, thank you," Harry said for the both of them.

"I saw the two of you dancing just now. Hermione you really are graceful, Draco clearly didn't know what he was talking about the other day," she said, smiling.

"It's obviously because I am such a good partner," Draco boasted.

"Yes that must be it," Hermione agreed sarcastically.

Narcissa gave them a knowing look. "Well, I have some duties I must attend to, but I wanted to say a quick hello. I hope you all enjoy your night." She said, excusing herself, dashing off to attend to some matter.

"Mione, maybe you can teach me some of those dance moves of yours," Harry said, offering his hand.

"I suppose I could try," she teased, following him to the dance floor. They took the correct stance, and then proceeded to dance the way only longtime friends can dance, talking and laughing all the while. Ginny talked Draco into dancing with her, saying that her poor feet needed a break from getting stepped on while dancing. He didn't want to admit it, but he was really warming up to Ginny. She was so feisty, it was hard not to like her. They somehow got on the topic of good hexes to use on your enemies, when someone tapped Draco on the shoulder.

"May I cut in?" Harry asked.

"Of course," Draco replied, giving Harry Ginny's hand, and going over to Hermione. They finished the dance, and then he danced with Pansy, while Hermione danced with Neville. Hermione was thoroughly enjoying herself. She danced with Neville, and even Blaise, and then finally Draco again.

"I need some fresh air," Hermione stated, "would you like to join me on the balcony?"

"Alright"

They stepped out into the cold night air, it was refreshing after all the dancing. It was a beautiful winter night. The sky was clear, and the stars twinkled down on them, as if they knew a secret the pair was unaware of.

"It's a beautiful night," Hermione commented, looking up at the stars.

"It is," Draco agreed. He glanced at her. He didn't know what had come over him, but suddenly he just wanted to be close to her. One side of his brain was telling him to stop, to get away, to leave, but something wouldn't let him.

A slow song started playing in the background. They both recognized it as a waltz. Hermione absently swayed to the music.

"I love to waltz," she said, humming along to the music.

Draco walked up to her and wordlessly took her hand, placing it on his shoulder, as he put his on her hip. He lightly held her other hand. Looking into her eyes he led her around the balcony in a perfect waltz. He pulled her closer, placing his hand on the small of her back. She wound her hand up around his neck. They lost themselves in the music and revolved on the spot, never taking their eyes from each other.

There was a faint sound of a countdown in the background.

10…9…8…

His thumb rubbed slow circles on the exposed skin of her back. She didn't think he realized he was doing it, and she wasn't going to stop him.

7…6…5…

They slowly moved closer, they both paused when their lips were a hairs breadth apart, giving the other a chance to back out.

4…3…2…

Hermione closed her eyes in answer to his unasked question. He moved a millimeter closer. She could feel his hot breath mixing with hers.

1…

Their lips were almost touching.

BOOM

A firework exploded in the sky.

The couple quickly jumped apart as people poured out on to the balcony for a better view of the fireworks show. They awkwardly stood next to each other and blankly stared at the fireworks. Hermione looked around her at all the couples kissing, and cuddling in the cold, as they rung in the New Year together. She worked up the nerve to look up at Draco. He was staring straight ahead. His expression was unreadable. Suddenly she knew without a doubt that she had to get out of there.

"I'm going home," She said, disapparating before he even had a chance to respond. She apparated straight to her bedroom, and fell onto the bed without even getting changed out of her dress. She heard a pop in the kitchen and knew Draco was home. She listened as his footsteps grew closer. They stopped outside of her bedroom. He paused. She unknowingly held her breath. His footsteps retreated and she heard his door close. She let out the breath she didn't know she was holding, and closed her eyes, willing sleep to come to her quickly. The night was over and the moment lost.


	13. Two Steps Forward, Three Steps Back

As always, I love to hear your feedback, hope you like this chapter, I made it extra-long.

Still Fighting It – 2 Steps Forward, 3 Steps Back

Draco lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. He really did not want to get out of bed this morning. Things between him and Granger were worse than ever. They fought constantly about any and everything. There was something about her that was just so irksome. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. Maybe it was her know-it-all attitude, or her bossiness, or the way she could infuriate him with just one word from that mouth, with those ever inviting lips –NO, _her lips are not inviting_, he thought to himself. Unwittingly, a memory of her upturned face came to his mind. She moved closer and closer until they were a hairs breadth apart…Draco shook himself out of these dangerous thoughts. That night didn't exist, he told himself.

Sighing, he slowly got out of bed. He padded out to the living room where he saw Granger sitting in the middle of the floor. Papers were strewn all around her haphazardly, but it appeared to all make sense to her. She stared at the piles, deep in thought.

"What are you—"he started to ask before she interrupted.

"Don't distract me," she snapped. He rolled his eyes and continued to the kitchen. He definitely wasn't in the mood to fight with her today. He quietly made his coffee, and prepared himself a piece of toast. He could hear Granger muttering to herself as he silently ate his breakfast. _We really need to get out of the house_, he thought.

"Granger, let's go do something today. We both need to get out of the house. My Mother said we could come over any day this week for lunch, or if there's something else you would like to do, I don't care, I just want to get out of here."

"No, I have to work," She replied tersely.

"Granger, you're looking over the same information over and over again. It's not going to change no matter how many times you read it. Why can't you realize that?" he asked, frustrated by her behavior over the past few days.

"At least I'm trying to do something, that's more than I can say for you."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" he asked, sharply. "Are you implying I'm not doing my job? Or should I remind you of who saved your life a few weeks ago? Right now, my only job is to protect you, and trust me, I want to be rid of you just as much as you want me gone, but driving ourselves mad looking for clues that aren't there are not going to be of any help to anyone. In fact, doing that will just get in the way of the actual investigation."

"I know there's something I'm missing. I can't just stand by and wait for another attack for the pieces to come together," She said, standing up quickly. Lightly clutching her head, she lost her balance and started to fall. Draco quickly rushed forward and steadied her.

"When is the last time you slept? Or ate?" He asked, concern coloring his voice. She looked at him defiantly for a second, and then suddenly the mask came down and it was clear how exhausted she was.

"I've been sleeping about 2 hours a night. I keep having nightmares, I've been having them since the attack, but they're getting worse" She admitted quietly.

"Okay," he said. He knew exactly what she was going through. During his sixth year he was plagued with nightmares of the things he'd seen and his fears of what may come to pass. He too buried himself in his work, hoping to keep the thoughts at bay, but he knew first hand that it wouldn't work. "You need to sit down and rest, no more work." He cleared away the papers with his wand.

She got comfortable on the sofa while he made some tea, slipping in a few drops of dreamless sleep potion without her noticing. They sat in only a slightly uncomfortable silence, as opposed to the extremely tense silences they'd shared since the New Year's Ball, and sipped their tea. Hermione eventually nodded off to sleep, and Draco covered her with a blanket and went to his room to get some work done.

He actually did a lot more work than Hermione realized. He kept in contact with the Auror office every day, looking for news on the attack and any suspected Death Eaters, specifically his Uncles. More reports of sightings had come in lately and the Aurors were getting excited, but Draco thought something was off. The Lestranges had gone years with nothing but a whisper here and there of their whereabouts, why were they suddenly so careless? It just didn't add up.

He was able to work peacefully for a few hours, and was in the midst of writing his daily letter to the Auror office when he heard the floo activate. He walked out to the living room to find Potter about to wake Granger.

"Don't wake her!" he whispered urgently. Potter looked up in alarm, but followed him to the kitchen. Draco placed a silencing charm over the kitchen and then turned to Potter. "Trust me, you do not want her conscious right now, she's been a right terror," he said.

"You didn't knock her out, did you?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"Of course not. However, I may have slipped some dreamless sleep potion in her tea. And before you can say anything, you should know she almost fainted earlier from lack of sleep. "

"She hasn't been sleeping?"

"She says she has nightmares that keep her awake."

"That happened to her right after the war too, it stopped after a while though. She's been under a lot of stress lately, especially with the attack."

"Yea well, I've been under a lot of stress too, mainly from her and her craziness," Draco muttered.

"She just needs a few good nights of sleep and she'll be back to her normal self," Harry responded.

"Not like that's much better."

"Did something happen between you two? You seemed to be getting along better, but ever since New Year's all you do is fight." Harry asked inquisitively.

"Nothing out of the ordinary," Draco lied. "Anyway, what did you come here for? I assume it wasn't to discuss mine and Granger's fighting habits."

"No, I have news on the Lestranges. We think we know where they're going to go next. There has been some flurry of activity in France and we think they may be heading there. We have information that the death eaters have been meeting out of the country so as not to raise suspicion. Rabastan and Rodolphus have several aliases, one of which is a pair of wealthy business partners. We think they will be staying at a first class wizarding hotel just outside of Paris tonight. Kingsley wants you to go there and check it out. He figures you would have the most chance of recognizing them."

"I think I know which hotel you're speaking of, it's one my family used to frequently stay at when we went to France. I could recognize them, though I doubt they would be stupid enough to show up undisguised. What about Granger? I can't just leave her here."

"Kingsley gave you two options. She can stay with me for the night and be under my protection, or she can go with you."

"He didn't seriously say she could come?" Draco asked, nonplussed.

"Kingsley thinks of Hermione more as an Auror than a reporter. He knows how capable she is and how strong of an asset she can be to the investigation. He tried for years to talk her into becoming an Auror, and he still brings her in on cases every once in a while. He just doesn't tell anyone about it."

"I know she's capable, but there is no way she is coming with me."

"Knowing what happened earlier, I will try to talk her into staying. Maybe I can bribe her with the baby. Ultimately, it is her decision though. Also, Kingsley wanted you to see him immediately after speaking with me. "

"I guess I should go see him then." Draco said, standing.

"I'll stay here," He replied.

Draco grabbed a handful of floo powder and threw it into the grate, shouting his destination. Seconds later he found himself in the Ministry Atrium. As he made his way to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, he thought over everything Harry told him. He was uneasy about his uncles' behavior, but was going to go tonight anyway. The chance to learn something was too high of an incentive.

He made it to Kingsleys office and knocked.

"Come in," a deep booming voice sounded from the other side of the door.

"You wanted to see me?" Draco asked as he entered.

"Ah, Draco, yes, good to see you. Have a seat," he said, gesturing to the empty chair in front of his desk. "I'm sure Harry will have already spoken to you about our findings concerning the whereabouts of Rabastan and Rodolpus Lestrange?"

"Yes, sir," he replied.

"Now I know you've been working with Miss Granger lately, but you are my first choice to go undercover to the hotel tonight. I think you would have the best chance of recognizing them, even with disguises, and you know how they act and think better than any of us do. I had hoped Miss Granger might wish to accompany you."

"I'm afraid she's under the weather. She will stay with Potter tonight."

"Like hell I will," a voice said from behind him, slamming the door open. "Did you really think I wouldn't want to go?"

Hermione woke to a whooshing noise. It was someone leaving through the floo. Sitting up, she saw Harry sitting at her kitchen table.

"Harry? What's going on? Why are you here?"

"Nothing, I just came to speak to Malfoy about something," he said casually.

"Oh. What about? Where is he anyway?" she asked, looking around.

"Just work stuff. Kingsley wanted to see him, so I said I'd wait here until he got back. Say Mione, do you want to come over for dinner tonight? I know Gin and the kids would love to see you."

"Sure Harry," she said, wondering why he was acting so strangely. She thought it had something to do with Malfoy and his suspicious absence. "Malfoy was saying he wanted to get out of the house anyway."

"Actually, I meant just you. In fact, why don't we give him the whole night off, how about you stay over tonight?"

"That's it. Something is going on, and you're going to tell me what it is." Hermione demanded.

Harry had the decency to look sheepish.

"It's not a big deal Mione. Kingsley just wants Malfoy to go on a mission tonight to find the Lestranges, and with the way you've been feeling we agreed that you should stay home." Harry said, a little too nonchalantly.

"I don't need a babysitter Harry, and yes, as I'm sure Malfoy told you, I haven't been sleeping well, but it's nothing I can't handle. I will be going tonight." She said, stomping over to the fireplace and disappearing in a cloud of green smoke.

She briskly made her way to Kingsley's office and could hear the two men discussing the mission.

"I had hoped Miss Granger might wish to accompany you." She heard Kingsley say.

"I'm afraid she's under the weather. She will stay with Potter tonight."

"Like hell I will," she all but shouted. "Did you really think I wouldn't want to go?"

"Granger, I don't want you to come. I work better alone." Draco asserted, masking his surprise at her presence.

"Kingsley, may I speak to Malfoy alone for a minute?" she politely asked, not wanting to argue in front of him.

"Go right ahead Hermione."

She stomped out to the hall. Draco angrily followed.

"What are you doing here?" He asked

"What am _I _doing here? What are YOU doing here? Wait, let me rephrase that, what are you doing here without me? Imagine my surprise when I wake up and Harry's there telling me I should come over to see James tonight, and that since I'll be there late, I might as well stay the night. Did you two really think I'd fall for that? I'm coming with you, and if I don't go with you then I'm staying home alone. I'm not some child who needs a babysitter. Besides, Kingsley said he wants me to go, and don't try to deny it, I heard him."

"For someone who's supposedly the "brightest witch of her age" you sure are thick. You being there will just put us in more danger because now instead of just worrying about my own hide I have to worry about you too. You always talk about how capable you are, well you need to realize that I am just as capable. I'm not Potter and Weasley, I don't need your brain, I can actually think for myself. "

"I'm going and there's nothing you can say to change my mind." She said, walking back into Kingsley's office before he could say a word. Growling in frustration, he followed her in.

"I've decided to accompany Malfoy on this mission." Granger said matter of factly.

"Sir, I would prefer to go alone. Bringing Granger along will be putting us both in unnecessary danger, and I can get by perfectly fine without her help. I know you think she will be a help to the investigation, and that may be true, but that doesn't mean she should go out in the field. Also, she has been ill and I don't think it wise for her to go."

"Is that true Hermione?"

"I just haven't been sleeping well, but I'm fine. Honestly," she said, glaring at Malfoy when Kingsley wasn't looking. "I disagree with Malfoy. I think I could be of help on this mission, and I don't think there will be any extra danger because I'm there. Please Kingsley, I may not be an Auror, but you know if it comes down to it I can fight just as well as one. Don't let Malfoy's personal feelings get in the way of the investigation."

"My personal opinion of you has nothing to do with why I don't think you should come."

Hermione opened her mouth to reply, but Kingsley beat her to it. "You two are both acting unprofessionally. I made up my mind long before either of you had anything to say about it. Hermione will accompany you on the mission. Draco, you will be less likely to be recognized if she is with you. The two of you will pretend to be newlyweds on your honeymoon. I trust you to come up with a plausible background story and disguise, just remember that glamour charms can only do so much, and your basic face structure will still be the same, so you need to be convincing. Be ready to leave in two hours. This portkey will take you straight to the hotel, the reservation is under the name James and Charlotte Brown. Do you have any questions?" He handed Draco a paperclip that was the portkey.

"No, sir." Draco responded, as Hermione shook her head. They both stood to leave.

"And remember," Kingsley said as they opened the door, "you two are supposed to be in love, that means no trying to kill each other."

_No promises_ Draco thought to himself.

"Oh Darling, this place is perfect!" Hermione said, placing her arm through Draco's, as they entered the hotel.

"Just like you," Draco said, looking at her adoringly.

There were mirrors all around the lobby, and they both kept getting glances of their glamoured selves as they made their way to the desk. Hermione charmed her hair to be a very dark brown almost black, angled bob. She changed her eye color to a sapphire blue, and used a glamour to erase her freckles. Her general face shape was the same, as a glamour couldn't change that without looking unrealistic. Draco also looked extremely different. He used a glamour to give his skin a healthy glow. His hair was a dark brown, and his eyes matched. They both found that it was easier to act like they were in love when they didn't look like each other.

They finally made it to the front desk, hand in hand.

"We have a reservation for Mr. and Mrs. Brown for the honeymoon suite." Draco told the receptionist.

"The room is all ready for you. I hope you'll find it to your liking and enjoy your stay. Congratulations." She said, as she handed him the room key. They took the key and made their way up to the room. Once they were safely inside, they dropped the act.

"Being 'married' to you is exhausting," Draco sighed.

"It's no picnic for me either. Let's just get this over with, so we can go home."

"If I know my Uncle's they'll go to the dining room to conduct any business they may have. My father always said the best place to discuss private business was in public because no one would pay attention, but if you go to the shady places you stand out. The most important thing for us is to stick to the plan. We are not to arrest them, or cause a scene of any kind, we are only to observe and place a tracing spell on them. Understand Granger? No deviations."

"We've already discussed all of this Malfoy. Let's just go." She said, irritated, grabbing his hand.

As she stepped in to the hotel's dining area, Hermione had to admit she was impressed. The room was large with a glass dome ceiling surrounding the space and letting in the evening light. An opulent chandelier hung from the ceiling, shooting sparks of light into all the corners. A grand staircase led to the upper "VIP" floor, where only the richest of rich dined. Draco led her to this area, and pulled out a chair at one of the tables overlooking the entire room.

He bent down pretending to whisper something loving in her ear, saying "Keep your eyes open for anyone trying too hard to act normal."

She laughed lightly and nodded while scanning the room for anyone fitting the profile. Their information said that the brothers would be meeting one other man, perhaps the leader of the Death Eaters for a private meeting before the larger meeting tomorrow. Draco and Hermione were told only to observe this meeting to determine whether the Lestrange brothers were involved and then to go home, they had others working on the large death eater gathering and didn't want to put anyone else at risk.

Draco and Hermione made it through drinks and part of dinner before anyone suspicious entered. Then, finally, Draco saw two men enter the room and join another man at a table in the corner of the VIP section. The table was fairly close to them, but he couldn't hear what the men were saying. Draco looked closely at the trio. One of the men had long reddish brown hair, brown eyes, and tan skin. His large nose struck a memory for Draco, and he felt confident that he was looking at Rodolphus. The other man bore a strong resemblance to the first, but his hair was slightly darker, his eyebrows were bushier and he wore a goatee. It was most definitely Rabastan. It was clear why they posed as brothers, there was no way they could hide their resemblance to one another. The third man was a mystery to Draco, but there was something frustratingly familiar about him. He suspected that this was either the leader himself or the right hand man, either way, Draco was sure he knew him, perhaps from his days as a forced death eater. This man was tall, with short dark blonde hair, fair skin, and dark blue eyes.

"Do you see them?" Hermione asked, leaning close.

"Yes," he replied, "over in the corner behind you, but don't look."

"You're sure it's them?"

"Positive. Damn, if I could only hear them." Draco muttered.

Suddenly Hermione placed her hand over his on the table. At first he was surprised, but then he realized she was handing him something. It was an extendable ear.

He held it up to his ear surreptitiously, and suddenly he could hear everything. He had to focus hard to hear the conversation between the three men because of all the other guests chatter, but he could hear well enough.

"search has continued and we believe we are getting closer to finding it." Rodolphus stated.

"You have been searching for three months and have continued to show up empty handed, perhaps I should find someone better suited to the task." The third man said. His voice was odd, he must have used some sort of enchantment to disguise it.

"Please, we are getting closer, we just need more time."

"I have given you more than enough time. This is your last chance, if you do not find it by the next time we meet then I will find someone else, and you two will face the consequences."

"Yes, my lord."

"I told you not to call me that," He snapped. "Now get out of my sight, and do not bother me until the meeting tomorrow."

Rabastan and Rodolphus scurried away, and Draco put the extendable ear in his pocket. He surreptitiously placed a tracking spell on each of their shoes.

"Well?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Now is not the time to discuss it, just finish your dessert, but don't rush." Draco replied.

They ate in companionable silence for a little bit, then Draco lightly kicked Hermione's leg. Before she could yell at him she saw him signal with his eyes for her to look at someone. It was a tall blonde man. She assumed he was the one the Lestrange's were meeting.

They finally made it back up to their room. Hermione felt like she was about to explode with questions.

"You're sure it was them? Who were they meeting? What did they say? Did they—"

"Granger, I'll tell you what I heard, you can calm down," Draco said, lightly chuckling. Hermione sat on the edge of the bed as Draco recounted what he had heard.

"They didn't say what they were looking for at all?"

"Nope, unless it was before I started listening. But I doubt they would be stupid enough to actually name the thing they were searching for."

"Well at least we know they are actually involved, and that they aren't the ones in charge."

"True, but the man they met with was definitely the one in charge. He seemed so familiar, but I couldn't place him."

Hermione started laughing as soon as he said that last bit.

"Why are you laughing?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Because the reason he seemed familiar was because he looked a lot like you. It's like someone was using you as their inspiration," she explained.

"I suppose he did resemble me, I'm much more handsome though," Draco said confidently.

"mmhmm," Hermione said, sarcastically.

Draco rolled his eyes at her. "It was more than that though. His basic face shape seemed familiar, as well as his mannerisms. I'm sure I've seen him before."

"It seems like instead of getting answers, we ended up with more questions." Hermione observed.

"Yes, it does. The more we unravel the deeper it goes." Draco agreed.

A tense silence ensued. This was the first civil conversation they'd had in days, and neither of them knew where to go from here. There were obviously things that they needed to discuss, but neither of them wanted to be the one to initiate it.

"I'm going to take a bath," Hermione suddenly stated, retreating to the bathroom, where she stayed for a full hour, relaxing in the pool size bathtub.

When she emerged she found Draco lounging on the bed flipping through a quidditch magazine. At that moment, she finally noticed something glaringly obvious. There was only one bed.

"I think I'm going to turn in early tonight, I'm exhausted," Hermione stated.

"I'm quite tired myself," Draco replied.

Hermione walked to the other side of the bed. "The gentlemanly thing to do would be to allow me to have the bed," she said.

"Ah, yes, but I never said I was a gentleman. There's a perfectly fine couch over there," he said gesturing to a small loveseat.

"If it's so comfortable looking to you, why don't you sleep on it," She asked.

"Well I'm already all situated on the bed," he said.

"Alright clearly neither one of us wants to give up the bed, and I'm too tired to fight, so we'll just have to share. We're both adults here." Hermione said.

"Fine by me, but don't even think of cuddling in the night."

"Trust me, I won't come near you," she said, getting situated on her side of the bed. She used her wand to turn the light off.

They both lie on their backs, staring at the ceiling in the darkness. There was a silence between them that was deeper than a normal silence. It was a silence so loud that it was deafening. Something was being left unsaid between the two of them, and it was screaming to be let out. Finally Hermione built up her courage.

"Why did you almost kiss me?" she whispered. In the dark it was easier to say the things that would normally go unsaid.

He was quiet for a moment, and Hermione was both relieved and worried that he'd fallen asleep. Then, he quietly responded "Why did you leave?"

She looked over at him, willing the words to come to her. He determinedly kept his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

After several moments of stretched silence, Draco spoke.

"Never thought I'd see the day when Hermione Granger didn't have an answer," he said, turning away from her, "For the record, you almost kissed me too."

Hermione woke in the middle of a giant fluffy bed. For a minute she forgot where she was, then it all came rushing back to her. She felt surprisingly good and more refreshed than she had in weeks. She looked over and saw Draco lying on his stomach flat on the bed with his pillows on top of him. _How odd_ she thought to herself. She tried to quietly get out of bed, but Draco stirred.

"I've never seen anyone sleep like that before," Hermione giggled, getting up and looking out the window. It was a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower.

"You're one to talk. Tell me, how did you sleep?" Draco replied, moodily.

"I slept grea—What happened to your face?" she asked, finally looking at him.

"Oh, this?" He asked, pointing to his purpling eye "Let me tell you. There I was, sleeping, quite peacefully, I might add, when suddenly out of nowhere a fist, your fist to be precise, hit me square in the eye. Apparently you need to find some way to work out your aggression, because you are downright abusive in your sleep. After the third kick to my shin, I built a barrier around myself."

"Malfoy, I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean to," she said, apologetic. "Sometimes when I have a nightmare I act it out in my sleep."

"I could tell," Draco said acerbically.

"To be fair, you did tell me no cuddling, and at least I didn't do that" She reminded him, smiling lightly.

"I think I would've preferred the cuddling to the beating." He said dryly.

"Once again, I'm sorry," she said.

"I really pity the man who marries you, he'll be black and blue all over." Draco joked, letting her know she was forgiven.

"Did you forget Mr. Brown? That man is you!" She said smiling widely. And just like that, their tentative friendship was repaired, though not quite the same as before.


	14. New Developments

Hey everyone! I'm glad you're all enjoying the story. I'm not too happy with this chapter, but hopefully you will all still like it. I guess that's what happens when you write even though you're sick. Anyway, thanks for all of the wonderful reviews/alerts, it really means a lot to me, and I really do find reviews helpful with my writing. So keep it up, and enjoy!

Chapter 14 – New Developments

After leaving the hotel as a happily "married" couple, Draco and Hermione apparated straight to the Ministry. They made their way up to Kingsley's office. They entered the spacious office and were surprised to see Harry already there.

"Can I help you?" Kingsley asked politely. It was clear he didn't recognize them.

The duo quickly looked at each other in slight confusion, and that was when they realized they had forgotten to take the glamour charms off. Hermione muttered a quick "finite incatatem" and they were back to their normal selves.

"Ah, Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy, I should have known," Kingsley said.

"How did it g-, Malfoy, what happened to your face?" Harry asked, gesturing to the black eye.

"Maybe you should ask Granger" he replied, glaring at the girl in question.

"It was an accident," she said defensively.

"Mione you punched him?"

"Was your cover blown?" Kingsley asked, disapprovingly.

"No! Of course not!" Hermione exclaimed. "It really was an accident, no one was around. And yes, Harry, I guess I did punch him, but I really didn't mean to and didn't even know I had until I woke up."

"Apparently Granger lets out her pent up aggression in her sleep," Draco stated. "I've got the bruises to prove it."

"If you had taken the couch like I told you to, then you would be fine right now, so really this is your own fault," Hermione replied.

Suddenly Harry burst out laughing. "This is even better than when you slapped him in third year!" he exclaimed.

Draco glared, and Hermione just smiled slightly at the memory.

"If you're done making fun of my injuries, then I'd like to report on the mission," Draco said moodily.

After everyone's attention was on him, Draco recounted the night and what he overheard.

"Whatever they're looking for, it's big," Hermione said, "Also, the leader closely resembled Malfoy. It was as though they used him as inspiration for his disguise. This makes me wonder if it's someone who either knows Malfoy and is perhaps jealous of him, or someone who wants to throw suspicion on him."

"Looking slightly like me isn't going to throw suspicion on me."

"It might if reports start coming in that a man who looks strangely like you is behind the terrible deeds that are happening. Not everyone trusts you the way we do, surely you know that."

Draco looked at her. It was the first time she had openly acknowledged that she trusted him.

"Do you have any idea what the object could be?" Kingsley asked.

"No, they never said it, or even alluded to anything specific. They just kept talking about searching for something. In fact, they were overly vague, which brings me to a concern I have. Sir, what if this is all some sort of diversion? The Lestrange brothers have stayed hidden for years, with only a whisper here and there of their whereabouts, why would they suddenly be so careless? This group has used diversion tactics before, as we saw during the attack on Diagon Alley. I worry that this might be their plan now."

"That is a good theory Mr. Malfoy, however, we still need to look into this possibility of some sort of powerful magical artifact."

"Yes, of course, I just don't think it would be wise to put all of our focus on it,"

"I agree with you Mr. Malfoy. Just one last thing and then you may go. Were you able to place the tracking spell?"

"Yes, I placed it on their shoes."

"Good, hopefully this will give us a lead. Good work, you all may go. I will brief the others on these new developments." Kingsley said, dismissing them.

Harry went back to his desk. Apparently, since James was born he had fallen behind on his paperwork and had some catching up to do. Draco and Hermione went back to the flat. He went straight to his room, and she got to work adding the new information to her files, and researching possible artifacts. The problem was that there were so many extremely powerful artifacts, some were thought to be myths like the deathly hallows, and some were documented, it was hard to narrow down what it could be. If she had some kind of clue of what the endgame was then she may be able to figure something out, but this was like looking for a needle in a pile of needles. Nothing stood out.

After a few hours of fruitless searching, Hermione got up to make a cup of tea. At this same time, Draco materialized from his bedroom.

"I just got a letter from Blaise. Pansy is still in town, and he asked if we would like to join them for dinner at his manor. I know you're going to say that you want to keep researching, but I won't have you go mad and sleepless again, so I took the liberty of saying yes."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "If you had bothered to ask, you would have found that I was open to the idea. We see my friends all of the time, it's only fair that you get to see yours too. Besides, I've been researching for hours and come up with nothing, so until we get some feedback from the tracking spell I won't be able to do much."

"That's good to hear. I wasn't looking forward to dealing with you being all neurotic again," he teased, "Be ready to leave in an hour."

Hermione quickly showered and tamed her hair. She selected a nice set of plum colored robes, knowing that the others would most likely be wearing robes. Just as she was finishing, a knock sounded at her bedroom door.

"Are you ready?" Draco asked through the closed door.

"Coming," she said, slipping into her shoes.

"Great, I'm starving," he said, as she opened the door. "But before we go, I need you to cast a glamour charm over my black eye. I definitely don't want to explain that to them."

Hermione colored at the thought, and silently cast a spell to cover the ugly bruise. Draco grabbed her hand, and next thing she knew she was standing in front of Blaise's beautiful home. It looked just as elegant as before. The setting sun was a lovely back drop. A house elf answered the door before they had a chance to knock.

"If you will follow me, Master Zabini and Miss Parkinson are in the drawing room," the elf said as they entered.

"Draco, Hermione, glad you could make it," Blaise said cheerfully, standing up to greet them. He gave Hermione a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Pansy, I'm surprised to hear you haven't gone back to France yet," Draco said, giving her a light hug in greeting.

"It's nice to be home for a while. When I came home for the holidays, I realized it had been far too long, so I decided to stay for an extended vacation," she explained.

The house elf, Mimsy, brought drinks out for everyone, as they amicably chatted, getting caught up on each other's lives. Blaise eventually led them to the dining room where a scrumptious looking dinner was waiting for them.

"Hermione, I read that you are no longer a reporter," Blaise enquired.

"Yes, after I was injured in the attack on Diagon Alley, I came to realize that writing was no longer my passion. For now I'm taking a bit of a rest, but I'm planning on opening my own bookshop later." Hermione said, reciting her much told cover story.

"So you weren't the one who was writing the articles about the death eater attacks?" Pansy asked innocently.

Hermione almost spit out her drink, but was able to keep her composure. "No, I wasn't. I never knew who it was. Nobody does."

"I just thought you seemed like the logical choice, seeing as you know so much about them, and had such a large role in the war," Pansy stated.

"To be honest, I wondered why I wasn't chosen at first, but when I asked my boss, I was told that was precisely why I wasn't chosen. I would be the obvious choice. I guess they wanted to keep me out of danger, unfortunately they didn't know that danger follows me around like a lost puppy," Hermione explained, glancing at Draco.

Before Pansy had a chance to ask anything else, Draco swiftly asked her how work was going. Pansy could talk about work for hours, she absolutely loved her job. She worked at a prestigious fashion magazine. She did a lot of travelling for work, often back and forth between England and France, but also to all of the fashion capitals.

Hermione zoned out for a while, thinking about Pansy's questions. How many other people assumed she was behind the articles? Did the Death Eaters think it was her too? Maybe they were waiting for her and Draco to separate before attacking Diagon Alley. But then, why didn't they search for her more? And how would they even know that she and Draco would separate? None of it added up. She would have to think about it later, when she could concentrate fully, but for now she would enjoy dinner.

After a lovely dinner and a delicious dessert, they retired to the sitting room once more. Pansy and Hermione found themselves in a discussion about travelling, and all the different places they'd been. Blaise used the opportunity to ask Draco something he'd been wanting to know for quite a while.

"So are the rumours true?" Blaise asked, quietly.

"What rumours do you mean?" Draco asked.

"The ones about you and Granger of course," Blaise replied, rolling his eyes.

"Blaise, you should know better than to believe the gossipmongers," Draco admonished, not quite answering the question.

"I didn't believe them at all until I saw you two at the Ministry ball."

"I told you, we only went together because the current circumstance we find ourselves in wouldn't allow either of us to have a date," Draco said irritatedly.

"That's not what I'm talking about. I saw the two of you on the balcony, and you looked quite…close," Blaise said, raising his eyebrows. Draco paused for a second as he brought his drink to his lips.

"It was nothing, we were just caught in a moment, but it passed," Draco responded, looking at Hermione.

"There's something different between you two mate. The first time I ran into you, you could barely keep from strangling each other, now it's like you can barely keep from tearing each other's clothes off," Blaise said, smirking.

"Trust me, we still want to strangle each other. I guess we've just learned how to get along, but there is nothing going on between us," Draco replied.

"If you're sure," Blaise said unbelievingly.

"I am," Draco assured.

If Draco was honest with himself then he would admit that there was some sort of tension between the two of them, and that at times he wondered what would have happened if the fireworks show hadn't interrupted them, but most of the time he pushed those thoughts down. This was Hermione Granger, after all. Bookworm extraordinaire and pain in his ass, surely he didn't feel more for her than a sense of duty, and maybe an ounce of friendship. At least, that's what he told himself.

They left shortly after this conversation. Draco was acting oddly the rest of the night, and Hermione had no idea why. He went straight to his room as soon as they got home, and didn't even say two words to her. She could never explain why he acted the way he did so she decided to just ignore it.

A couple of hours later, Hermione was lying in bed, thinking about the conversation she'd had with Pansy this evening. She couldn't shake the feeling that the puzzle pieces were coming together, but she just couldn't see them. Did the Death Eaters know that she was writing about them? Or even worse, that she was in on the investigation? Having Draco as bodyguard was probably like a neon sign over her head, but she knew that he had actually been helpful, and she didn't think she would be any better off without him. Her thoughts were slowly lulling her to sleep, when suddenly her eyes shot open and she sat bolt upright. Quickly getting out of bed, she rushed over to Draco's room.

"Malfoy," she said, knocking quickly, and throwing the door open before he replied. "It's Blaise!"

"What's Blaise?" Draco asked, confused.

"The distraction. Blaise was the distraction at the Diagon Alley attack."


	15. An Eventful Night

Hey everyone! Once again thanks so much for the reviews/alerts, I get so happy every time I get a new one Sorry it took me a while to post this chapter. I had some writers block, it was like pulling teeth, and then I finally got it all written and my power went out for a couple days. Hopefully you all like it. As always, enjoy, and please review!

Still Fighting It – An Eventful Night

Draco stared at Hermione incredulously.

"You think Blaise is involved in this?" he asked slowly.

"No, but I do think someone used polyjuice potion to assume his identity. Think about it. We only separated at Diagon Alley because you wanted to say hello to Blaise, yet when you went after him he mysteriously disappeared. Blaise is one of the only people that you would have left my side for."

"That may be true, but how would they have known we were going to Diagon Alley on that day? Or that the Blaise decoy would even work? And why wouldn't they look for you harder? It just doesn't add up," Draco questioned, skeptically.

"I'll admit there are holes in the theory. Maybe some of it was coincidence. They had probably already planned the attack for that day and we were an added bonus. But don't forget that we did see Evan shortly before the attack started. He must have reported back that we were there and your uncle's knew that the best chance of getting us to separate would be for you to see Blaise. As for why they didn't search for me harder, I don't know at the moment, but I think it's best if we operate under the assumption that they know about me."

"Maybe they don't know for sure it's you. Perhaps it's like Pansy said, you are the most likely candidate. Either way we will have to be more careful from now on."

"I agree with you on that, we'll just have to be more alert," she said.

He nodded, and slowly sat down on the bed. It was then that she noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt. For someone so pale he looked very good without a shirt on. He had muscles in all the right places, but they weren't too overwhelming. For the first time she could really see why girls fawned over him, and she found herself unable to look away.

"Granger, are you…blushing?"

"What? No! I'm just hot. I'm going to bed, we can discuss this in the morning," she said, hurriedly backing out of the doorway and escaping to the safety of her bedroom.

Draco smirked to himself, knowing exactly what had Hermione all flustered. After all, it's hard to miss a woman staring blatantly at your abs.

A few hours later Draco awoke to a high pitched alarm sounding from his wand. He immediately knew something was wrong at the manor. The alarm was magically connected to his wand to go off if his mother activated it. He jumped out of bed, quieted the alarm, and very quickly threw some clothes on. Hermione was knocking on the door.

"Malfoy, what is that?" She asked, concerned.

"Something's wrong at the manor," he said, throwing the door open. "I have to go, stay here."

"No way. That could be exactly what they want, I'm coming with you," She stubbornly stated.

"Fine, but stay behind me," He said, knowing there was no time to argue. If the alarm sounded on his wand then that meant his mother felt she was in danger. She was the only one able to activate it, and he needed to get there as quickly as possible. He grabbed Hermione's hand and silently apparated into the manor's kitchen, knowing it would be the least likely place an intruder would be.

The room was pitch black, and the house was eerily silent. He listened intently, but didn't hear anything that would alert him to trouble. He decided to check his mother's room first, hoping that it was maybe some kind of accident that the alarm went off. He quietly made his way to the entrance hall, checking the parlor and the drawing room as he went, but finding them both empty. He silently signaled to Hermione to follow him up the grand staircase. He was walking down the vast hallway to his Mother's bedroom when he felt a small hand on his shoulder.

"Malfoy, look," Hermione whispered, pointing two doors down. It was the study. The room wasn't used much since his Father went to Azkaban. There was a faint glow coming from below the door. They crept up to the door, Draco listened for any sounds inside, but upon hearing nothing he slowly opened the door. He was shocked at what he saw. He tried to shield the contents of the room from Hermione, but it was too late. He heard her gasp in horror.

The body of Seamus Finnegan lay on the ground. His glossy eyes stared unseeingly at the ceiling. His body was covered in cuts and bruises and the dark mark was branded onto his chest. As they got closer he could see just how much torture Seamus had withstood. Hermione slowly kneeled and gently closed Seamus' blue eyes.

Draco was about to send his patronus to Kingsley when he noticed something on the usually empty desk. As he got closer he saw that it was a letter.

Draco,

Next time you follow us, make sure you aren't so obvious. We've known you your whole life, don't be so foolish as to think we'll be fooled by a couple of glamour charms. This is a warning to stop your investigation, as well as your association with the Mudblood. If you fail to do either of these things you will face the consequences.

You will find your mother unharmed in the dungeon, but know that next time she may not be so lucky. This is the only warning you will receive. Do not look for us.

-Rabastan and Rodolphus

He dropped the letter and raced out of the room, not even noticing the two pairs of shoes on the ground to the left of the desk.

"Malfoy! Where are you going?" Hermione shout whispered.

"It was my Uncle's. They've left now, but my Mother is in the dungeon. Stay here." He said urgently as he ran from the room and down the stairs.

Hermione got up from her kneeling position, and walked over to the desk, picking up the discarded letter. She had just finished reading it, and was searching the room for any clues they may have left behind, when she heard footsteps approaching in the hallway. It couldn't possibly be Draco. Was this another trick to separate her and Draco? She quickly crouched behind the large desk, thinking the element of surprise may be her best asset. The footsteps paused a couple of times, and then whoever it was entered the room. She quickly sprung up, her wand aimed, and a dozen spells at the ready.

"STU—Harry?" She asked, nonplussed. He looked just as surprised as she was, but he didn't lower his wand.

Draco ran as fast as he could to the dungeon, hoping that his mother was unharmed like his Uncle's said she was. However, he knew that his idea of unharmed was quite different than theirs. He had never been angrier in his life. Even if they didn't personally hurt her, the fact that they left her in the dungeon in the middle of January was enough. If she got so much as a cold he would kill them. He reached the dungeon and found the key sitting innocently in the keyhole. He braced himself for what he might find, and opened the door. His Mother lie in a heap on the floor, clearly unconscious. He quickly approached her and found that she was just stunned.

"Enervate," he stated, pointing his wand at her.

Her eyes fluttered open, she looked slightly confused.

"Mother, are you alright?" Draco asked hurriedly.

"Yes, I'm not hurt. How did I get down here? The last thing I remember was hearing men's voices and then activating the alarm," she asked.

"It was Rabastan and Rodolphus. They stunned you and brought you down here to send me a message." He explained, as they made their way to the study. "You might not want to come into the study, Mother. It's quite gruesome." He said as he climbed the stairs. That was when he heard a man's voice. Thinking the worst, he immediately broke into a run. Upon entering the room he found Potter with his wand aimed at Granger.

"-know it's Hermione? Tell me something to prove it." He stated heatedly.

She looked thoughtful for a second. "In second year we brewed polyjuice potion to find out who was opening the chamber of secrets. You turned into Goyle, Ron into Crabbe, and I accidentally got turned into a cat," she said, mumbling the last part.

Harry immediately lowered his wand, knowing that no one besides himself, Ron and Hermione knew about that.

"Potter, what are you doing here?" Draco asked. Harry turned, and started to raise his wand.

"It's alright Harry, it's him, we came here together," Hermione assured.

"The tracking spell from the shoes showed that the Lestrange's were here, so we put a team together and came here straight away. Kingsley, Williams, and Mercer are here as well. What are you doing here?"

"My Mother activated the Manor's alarm. It's connected to my wand to alert me. By the time we got here they were gone. They left a letter explaining that this was a warning to me to quit investigating. They left my Mother unconscious in the dungeon."

"Is she alright?" Harry asked, after he sent his patronus to tell the others to join them in the study.

"Yes Mr. Potter, I wasn't hurt," Narcissa said, clearly having heard the entire conversation. Her eyes widened as she saw the contents of the room. "What happened in here? Who is that?"

"It's Seamus Finnegan, he was a classmate of ours. We're not sure what happened yet. Granger and I found the room like this," Draco replied. "Mother, why don't you go to the sitting room and have a cup of tea? We'll take care of everything up here."  
Narcissa nodded and left the room, tearing her eyes away from Seamus' bloody body.

Kingsley and the other two aurors, Charlie Williams and Michael Mercer, found their way into the study shortly after Narcisssa left. Draco and Hermione told their account of the night for the third time. Kingsley listened intently as he searched the room for anything that may give them some insight as to what happened. It appeared that Seamus had already been killed when they placed his body. Hermione stated her theory about the Death Eaters killing one person from each blood type. The fact that Seamus was a half-blood only cemented this theory further in her mind. Perhaps it had something to do with the artifact they were searching for.

"Sir, I think my Mother should be placed under protective custody. It's clearly not safe for her here."

"I agree, and was going to suggest that. We will find a proper safe house for her immediately. In the meantime, I think you and Miss Granger can go home for the night. There isn't anything more for you to do here. The crime scene team will be arriving any moment and they will take care of everything."

Draco and Hermione nodded and headed downstairs to say goodbye to Narcissa. They explained that the Aurors would find a safe place for her to stay for a while and that they would visit as much as possible. Draco knew she was shaken, but also that she was strong. After all, much worse had happened in this house and she made it through that. He just wished he could do more for her.

By the time the duo arrived home, the sun had risen and the Daily Prophet had already been delivered. Draco made himself a cup of coffee as Hermione busied herself making a light breakfast for the two of them. He opened the paper and almost spit out his coffee when he saw the headline.

**Has Draco Malfoy Followed in His Father's Footsteps?**

By: Rita Skeeter

Draco Malfoy, son of infamous Death Eater Lucius Malfoy, has fooled us all. It has recently come to light that for the past six years he has been working as an Auror, but secretly leading a ring of Death Eaters right under our noses. Readers may have heard about several murders that have been committed throughout the past few months, it can now be confirmed that Draco Malfoy is behind them all.

Last night at approximately 2:30 a.m. the body of Seamus Finnegan was found in Malfoy Manor. The body showed signs of torture, and was clearly the work of this new ring of Death Eaters. It should come as no surprise that Mr. Malfoy would be behind these murders seeing as his own Father was the right hand man of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named

Mr. Malfoy was not available for comment, but sources close to him say that he never stopped practicing the dark arts, and that "he's as evil as his father, if not more so". The above photo shows aurors Harry Potter and Kingsley Shacklebolt questioning Mr. Malfoy. Updates to follow.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked.

Draco silently handed her the paper. After reading it, she threw the paper on the ground and actually stomped on it.

"That vile woman!" She exclaimed, opening and slamming cupboard doors.

"What are you doing?" Draco asked confused.

"Looking for a very tiny jar," she replied, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"And why are you looking for a tiny jar?"

"For Rita Skeeter,"

"Granger, you're not making any sense. Why would Rita Skeeter need a jar?"

"I'm going to put her in the jar." She said, as if it should be obvious.

"I don't think she'll fit," he said slowly, like he would to a small child.

"Surely you remember that she's an animagus. She turns into a beetle. I know you gave her information about Harry in the fourth year."

"Yes, I know, but what does that have to do with her going into a jar?"

"Well, you see, after I found out how she was hearing all those private conversations I sortofblackmailedherandputhe rinajarasabeetle. Anyway, the point is she obviously didn't learn her lesson and she must be stopped."

Draco was pretty sure Hermione had finally cracked.

"Who knew the bookworm was such a rebel?" He teased. "However, you cannot blackmail her, seeing as it's ILLEGAL and I'm in Law Enforcement, in which case I would have to arrest you. That might be kind of fun though, so nevermind, blackmail all you want. Maybe I should get some of those muggle handcuffs."

Listening to Draco ramble about arresting her seemed to bring her back down to Earth.

"I never thought I'd say these words in regards to you, but you're right. I'm an adult, I can figure out a mature way to handle her. I'll go talk to Lila right now and find out how she even got printed to begin with."

"Granger, it's been an extremely long night. Let's leave vendettas for tomorrow and try to get a couple of hours of sleep."

She was ready to argue, but then she truly looked at his face and saw just how exhausted he was. It wasn't every day that you had to go rescue your mother from her insane brother in laws, only to find a dead classmate in your house. If she was being honest with herself she was just trying to keep busy to stop from thinking about her lost friend, but she could see how much Draco needed to sleep.

"Alright, we can deal with it later, some sleep would probably be good for both of us," she conceded.

After eating a small breakfast, they went their separate ways to their respective bedrooms. Hermione got changed into sleep shorts and a t-shirt. She tried to get comfortable in her bed, but something was nagging at her. She wasn't going to get any sleep until she got this off her chest. Getting out of bed, she crossed the hall to Draco's room for the third time in 24 hours. She lightly knocked on the door.

"Are you awake?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, come in," he replied.

She opened the door to find Draco sitting on his bed reading a book.

"I know you said you wanted to deal with everything later, but there's something I need to say right now. Hear me out before you say anything," she said nervously. She gingerly sat on the side of the bed. He put his book down.

"I think you should stop protecting me. I don't want you to put my safety above that of your mothers or yourself. I can manage on my own, or maybe they can assign someone else to me."

Draco looked at her thoughtfully, "Granger, I'm not going anywhere. I knew this could get dangerous going into it, that's part of the job description. My Mother will be safe, and as for me, I can handle anything they throw my way. Nice try to get rid of me though, but you should know, it's not that easy."

"I wasn't trying to get rid of you! I know that you take your job seriously, and I know that you don't really want to be here. I just don't want anything to happen to you. Now that you're not such a prat, I kind of like having you around. Even though we bicker, I'd say that we've kind of become friends."

After he didn't say anything, she looked down to see his reaction. He was asleep. He looked so peaceful in his sleep. She lightly brushed the hair back from his eyes. Normally she wouldn't do this, but after a day like today, human contact was needed, so she laid down, and fell asleep before her head hit the pillow.


	16. Is This an Alternate Universe?

This chapter is fairly short, but I actually really like it. Hopefully you do too! On the last chapter I passed the 50 review mark! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed or added me to favorites/alerts I also started a tumblr where I will post chapters, previews, updates, and anything dramione. Follow me if you'd like to be kept up to date. My username is still-fighting-it2. still-fighting-it2 DOT tumblr DOT com

Still Fighting It – Is This an Alternate Universe?

Hermione groggily woke feeling warm and relaxed. Not quite ready to get out of bed she snuggled deeper into the covers. She was just drifting back to sleep when she felt an arm encircle her waist and pull her closer. It was then she realized she was not in her own bed. Her eyes shot open and the events of the night came rushing back to her. She slowly turned her head and saw Draco sleeping peacefully next to her. He was sprawled out on his stomach next to her, with his arm draped over her waist. Looking at the clock on his bedside table she saw that it had only been an hour since they fell asleep. She didn't have the heart to wake him, he looked so peaceful, but she knew she couldn't stay there. She was mortified at the thought of what he would say if he knew she slept in there. She tried to gently move his arm, but he held her tighter.

"Just stay a little longer," he mumbled into his pillow.

She jumped at the sound of his voice. She looked at him speculatively. His eyes were still closed, but he couldn't possibly be asleep. Nobody spoke that clearly in their sleep.

"Are you awake?" She whispered.

"Yes," he muttered, "but I shouldn't be and neither should you. Go back to sleep, we can be awkward with each other later. For now I'm comfortable and I know you are too."

She thought about it for a minute, and then finally the feelings of warmth and safety won out over logical thought.

"Alright," she said quietly, closing her eyes. "But I thought you said you didn't do cuddling" she whispered playfully, unable to resist.

"This isn't cuddling. I am sleeping in a manly manner and you just so happen to be where my arm wants to go," he stated, pulling her ever so slightly closer.

Harry stepped out of the fireplace and into Hermione's living room. He was surprised that neither of them were out there, and figured they must be in their bedrooms. It was still fairly early, and he knew they hadn't gotten home until sunrise. Making his way to Hermione's bedroom to see if she was awake, he was surprised to find it empty. He looked across the hallway to Draco's room where he saw his friends slumbering peacefully. Deciding to have a little fun after the hellish night he just went through, he snuck out to the living room where he silently found Hermione's camera in one of the desk drawers.

Tiptoeing back to the bedroom he stood at the end of the bed, taking in the sight before him. They lay facing each other with their legs entwined. Draco had his arm around Hermione's waist, and Hermione's head was buried in Draco's chest. Normally Harry would chalk this up to a private moment and leave them be, but it was such a perfect blackmail opportunity that he couldn't pass it up. He lifted the camera to his eye, and with the sleeping duo in frame, he clicked the button. A bright flash went off, and Draco sat up in the blink of an eye, aiming his wand directly at him. "STUPEFY" was the last thing Harry heard before the world went dark.

Hermione woke to a bright flash and a clicking noise. Someone was in the bedroom. Before she even knew what was happening Draco had already stunned the intruder and was getting out of bed. Looking at the end of the bed she was shocked at what she saw.

"Malfoy, you stunned Harry!" She shouted, jumping off the bed and running to Harry's side.

"It was an accident, I thought he was an intruder. The flash woke me up, I thought it was a spell and reacted before thinking." Draco explained.

"Clearly."

Hermione kneeled next to Harry, "Enervate," she said, pointing her wand at him.

Harry slowly blinked open his green eyes and the world came into focus. Hermione's worried face loomed above him and Draco stood beside her.

"Harry are you alright?" she asked, concern etching her voice.

"I'm fine. Blimey, that was a strong stunner." He said, touching his head. He must have hit it when he fell.

"What were you doing Potter? You should know better than to sneak up on a sleeping auror," Draco reproached.

"I wasn't thinking. I came here to speak to the two of you, found you sleeping and thought it would be funny to take a picture. Who knew Draco Malfoy liked to cuddle?"

"We were not…cuddling," he said shuddering, as if it were a disgusting word.

"I'm just glad you two were fully clothed. Next time make sure to close the door," Harry responded, teasing the pair of them.

"It wasn't like that," Hermione said, "I came in here to talk to him after we got home this morning and we fell asleep, that's all." She had a deep blush to her cheeks that she wondered would ever fade away. _Waking up with Malfoy would have been awkward enough but now Harry's involved too? Just my luck._

Draco looked at Hermione. She had a deep blush to her cheeks and he chuckled inwardly at the mortification she must have been feeling. Not that he could blame her, he was embarrassed too, but he hid it well. He knew when he first woke up this morning, with his arm around her waist that the day would be awkward, but he really couldn't bring himself to care, and in that moment he wanted nothing more than for her to stay, and so he let her in, and admitted in his own way, that he needed her. Sometimes it was nice to have someone by your side, and he was getting closer to admitting to himself that she was the one he wanted. Deciding to save her from the embarrassment, he stepped in and distracted Harry.

"What did you want to talk to us about Potter?"

"Your Mother's placement, and the article that appeared in the Daily Prophet this morning."

At the mention of the article Hermione stormed out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. The boys quickly followed. She had completely forgotten about the vile article Rita Skeeter had written, and was now more vexed than ever.

"Granger, you're not looking for a jar again are you?" Draco asked, as she opened a cupboard.

"No, now I'm thinking about just "accidentally" stepping on her while in beetle form. Also, I'm making tea," she replied.

"You do know that's murder," he responded, really quite interested in her answer. He wasn't so sure she realized that.

"Oh, I wouldn't step hard enough to kill her, just to break a few things." She said matter of factly.

Draco looked at Harry for help, who just shrugged and said "She kind of deserves it."

Draco looked dumbfounded. "Since when did _I_ become the good one?"

"Don't worry Malfoy, I'm not going to actually do anything to her. I'll just imagine it vividly in my head," she reassured.

Draco looked at the pair of them as if they each had two heads. "Did I wake up in an alternate universe?" He just rolled his eyes when neither of them answered.

"Moving onward," Harry said, "Mione we need to get on this fast. We need an article about the attack out as soon as possible, however, we are not ready to identify the true killers. Kingsley said you should make sure to show Malfoy's innocence, you can use quotes from him and I, but don't go into too much detail on the attack. Also, if you could find out how in the world Rita got published in the first place."

"I'll work on the article tonight, and I'll write Lila about Rita," Hermione replied. She had already been thinking about how she was going to approach this article. She would have to be careful not to mention anything that an outsider wouldn't know, which might be tricky.

"What news do you have about my mother?" Draco asked.

"As you know she's being placed under protection, we want her to be as safe as possible, so we're placing her where no one will ever suspect; The Burrow. Arthur and Molly have already agreed, and so has your mother. The house is very heavily warded, as you know, so it will be the safest place for her."

"One thing's for sure, no one would ever think to look for her there," Hermione stated, looking at Draco.

He looked indifferent, but he was laughing on the inside. _This should be interesting _he thought to himself. His mother and Mrs. Weasley were as different as two people could possibly be. Now his mother would know how he felt when he first started working with Granger.

"I can't say that's the ideal place for her, but it is the last place anyone would look. Hopefully everyone makes it out alive." He said, thinking of her temper.

"It'll be a drastic change for all of them, but hopefully we'll catch these bastards soon and it'll all be over. Now if you'll excuse me I am going to go home to my wife and kids and hopefully take a very long nap. You know where to find me if you need anything," Harry said, walking to the fireplace.

The air in the small room suddenly changed when Harry left. Hermione was filled with tension, waiting for Draco to speak first. As much as she wanted to go hide, she was not a coward, and so she stood her ground, even though all she wanted to do was escape to her bedroom and think about what it meant that she felt safer with Draco than anyone else, that when they slept next to each other her nightmares were held at bay. The past two nights she got the best sleep she had in years, and it was because of him. Even when she was with Ron she had nightmares, and she always tensed when he tried to hold her. In the back of her mind, she was thinking that maybe Draco was the one she needed, but she wasn't ready to admit that yet, so it stayed hidden in the deep recesses of her mind.

Fed up with the awkward silence, Hermione spoke, "Malfoy, we're both adults here, we didn't do anything wrong. It doesn't have to mean anything, and I think we should just get past the tension and move on. If I'm being really honest, I slept great and I don't want to feel bad about the best sleep I've had in weeks. I'd say we've kind of become friends, and sometimes friends fall asleep together. There's nothing wrong with that..."

She was rambling. She was cute when she was uncomfortable, but lord was she ever going to stop talking? Merlin, if all Draco wanted to do was walk right up to her and kiss her. That would shut her up. But he really didn't feel like getting slapped, and he was almost positive that's what would happen.

"Granger, stop talking. There's nothing to be embarrassed about, we were tired, it had been a long day, stop reading into it. Our friendship hasn't been altered, nor will it be. Just relax." He reassured her, smiling lightly.

"You think we're friends?"

"I wouldn't say it's a normal friendship, but yes, I think in our own way we have become friends," he stated, "and that's the last time you'll hear me admit to it."

She just smiled and then walked over to her desk to write Lila's letter and start her article. Draco sat on the couch and attempted to read his book, but he couldn't get the idea of kissing her out of his head.


	17. The Magic of Books

Hello all! Wow! That's all I can say about the last chapter. Thank you so much for the positive response, it really blew me away. That was by far my most reviewed chapter, and it was all positive feedback. I can't tell you how much that means to me. Thanks so much for the reviews and alerts, I'm getting close to 100 for each Follow me on tumblr for updates and chapter previews! My name is still-fighting-it2.

Do you have any questions about the characters backgrounds or things that may not have been fully explained? Feel free to ask and I'll answer next chapter!

Chapter 17 – The Magic of Books

Death Eaters Strike Again

By: Emily Downes

Early on Saturday morning Aurors were alerted to a disturbance at Malfoy Manor. Upon arrival they found Narcissa Malfoy unconscious in the dungeon, and the body of Seamus Finnegan in the study. Mrs. Malfoy had been stunned, but ultimately unharmed. Aurors are certain based on the evidence at the scene that this was the work of Death Eaters. As of now it is unclear as to why Finnegan was placed at Malfoy Manor, but they are certain beyond a doubt that he was killed at an original location and then moved. Aurors are combing the manor for additional evidence.

Draco Malfoy was present when Aurors arrived, after he was alerted of his mother's danger. Head Auror, Kingsley Shacklebolt assures us that the allegations against Draco Malfoy are completely unfounded by saying "Mr. Malfoy is a valuable asset to the Auror department. He has solved many cases and given us no reason to suspect him." Harry Potter also vouched for Malfoy saying that he is "one hundred percent positive that Malfoy is innocent." As if that wasn't enough, Hermione Granger, former reporter for the Daily Prophet defended Mr. Malfoy fiercely, saying "Draco Malfoy had absolutely nothing to do with the events that took place at Malfoy Manor, he was simply protecting his Mother like anyone would do. Rita Skeeter has no clue what true journalism is, she only goes after the most sensational angle and doesn't care if it's true or not. I was with Draco at the time of the attack, I know for certain that he is innocent, and I trust him with my life."

Aurors assure the public that they are investigating this new Death Eater faction with fervor and will not rest until they are stopped. Kingsley Shacklebolt says "The Aurors have this under control and are working their hardest to catch those behind these heinous acts. There is no reason to worry, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be vigilant. Stay sharp and report any suspicious activity."

Hermione's article ran in the evening edition of The Daily Prophet. She worked on it quickly so that it could run in the evening edition, wanting to get it out there before Rita Skeeter's article could do even more damage. She also wrote a letter to Lila, and while she was waiting for a response she took what was supposed to be a relaxing bath, but ended up being more time to worry about everything that was happening. Finally giving up on relaxing, she threw on some comfortable clothes, and wrapped herself in a warm blanket. Grabbing a book, she padded out to the living room. Draco sat on the couch, with the television on. Hermione laughed to herself, thinking about his fascination with the television.

"Interesting article," Draco commented, folding up the paper as she sat next to him.

"How so?" she asked inquisitively.

"Well, it's just…you didn't have to say what you did. About me, I mean." He said, slightly uncomfortably.

"Malfoy, you said it yourself, we're friends now. And there's something you should know about me. I will go to any lengths to protect or defend my friends." She said determinedly.

"I appreciate what you said, I really do. You just better be prepared for the hailstorm of rumours that are going to start after you basically said we were sleeping together,"

"I know that's what people will assume. Honestly, I'm not too concerned with the rumours, they're already talking about us anyway. Besides, maybe it will help us with the Death Eaters,"

"That's true. I suppose it doesn't matter, I'm just not looking forward to the attention." Malfoy said, turning back to the television.

After a few moments of silence, Hermione spoke up.

"By the way, I meant what I said in the article, if you were wondering." He looked over at her, waiting for her to go on. "I really do trust you with my life. I mean, I didn't at first, but I just thought I should tell you that the past is…forgotten."

"Of course you trust me now that I've actually saved your life," Draco said playfully. She smiled lightly. Their eyes connected. "I never did apologize for the way I treated you in school, did I?" he said, earnestly.

"You don't have to," she assured, looking away. She understood him better than he realized, and knew how hard it was for him to apologize.

"You're too forgiving Granger," he said seriously. Tucking a finger under her chin he raised her head and looked straight into her amber eyes. "For the record, I am sorry. I've wanted to say that for a long time, but could never figure out how. I grew up being told that apologizing was weak. Malfoys are never wrong, so there was no need to ever apologize for something, but as I experienced the world, I realized that in actuality Malfoys were rarely right."

"You've changed a lot since we were children. We both have. That comes with the territory of growing up, especially growing up the way we did. I don't blame you Draco." She stated meaningfully, using his first name to emphasize her point, then she giggled lightly.

"What are you laughing about?" He asked, not missing the use of his first name. She had never said it before.

"I'm just thinking about when we first started working together. If you had told me then that we would be having this conversation I would have had you committed. I couldn't stand you!"

"You were no cup of tea either," he responded dryly, but with laughter in his eyes.

A tapping came from the window. Looking over, they saw a tawny owl. Hermione let the owl in and gave it a treat, taking the letter from its leg. It was from Lila.

Hermione,

I understand your feelings regarding the article that ran this morning. Trust me when I say that I don't believe a word of it, and I had no say in the matter. Apparently Rita Skeeter has some sort of connection with the owner of The Daily Prophet and she went over my head. The story was printed and in the paper before I even knew about it. I've been in meetings all day trying to get it retracted, as well as make sure it doesn't happen again.

I hope you are both well, despite the events of last night. Your article was perfect, we ran it in the evening edition and we will run it again in the morning. I am doing everything I can to undo Skeeter's damage.

I will be in touch.

-Lila

Hermione put the letter down. She should have known Rita would go straight to the top, instead of using the proper channels. Lila would never allow her to be published. After the triwizard tournament, it was found that many of Rita's articles were not quite truthful, and she was largely discredited. Clearly, she was trying to build her reputation back up.

"It should come as no surprise that Lila had nothing to do with Rita's publishing. Rita went straight to the owner of the Daily Prophet, and Lila didn't even know about it. But she says she's working to make sure it doesn't happen again, and she'll be in touch." Hermione said to fill Draco in. "She also said my article will run tomorrow morning."

"That's good, we need to get the word out as much as possible," Draco stated. Hermione nodded in agreement, and picked up her book. There wasn't anything else that needed to be said.

Draco watched as Hermione read, the way her eyes lit up as she eagerly soaked up the world between the pages, and he was struck with an idea. But he would have to wait until tomorrow. For now he was going to leave her to her book.

Hermione continued to read, barely noticing when Draco left the room. Reading wasn't just a form of entertainment for her, it was a form of escape, especially on days like this when her thoughts were threatening to overwhelm her.

A couple of hours later, Draco came out of his room and found Hermione sleeping soundly on the couch, her book on her chest. Draco gently took the book from her and covered her with a blanket. She sighed contentedly, and slumbered on.

"We don't have to be at the burrow for hours, why are we going to the manor now?" Hermione asked.

Draco rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time, "I told you. Mother asked me to pick up a few things for her."

"I know that, but why do you want to go right this minute? I was going to start researching blood related magical objects," she replied huffily.

"Just give it a break for today. Your number one priority is your article, and that's already been done. Tomorrow you can research until your head explodes. Now are you going to come willingly or do I have to force you?"

She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, "And just how do you think you would force me to do anything?"

He didn't say anything. Instead, he just reached over and lightly wrapped his hand around her wrist. He apparated before she had a chance to react.

"Like that," he said smugly.

"If you_ ever_ do that again, you will sorely regret it," Hermione responded dangerously, glaring daggers at him.

"Yes, I know. You'll curse me into oblivion and I'll wish I was never born. Can we just move past the empty threats? The house elves have probably already put most of Mother's things together, but there is one special thing I need to do. Follow me." He explained, heading up the stairs before she had a chance to retort in what was sure to be an angry fashion.

She huffily followed him up the stairs, down the hall, up another set of stairs and to the end of another hallway before he finally stopped. He smirked at her, though she had no idea why, and then threw open the double wooden doors. Her jaw dropped.

Hermione's eyes lit up with uncontained joy as she took in the room before her. The walls were lined with bookcases whereupon rows and rows were filled with books. A large window overlooked a beautiful view of the gardens where a rare white peacock roamed.

"This…is your library?" She asked in awe.

"I knew you'd like it," Draco responded smugly.

"It's amazing. There must be thousands of books here. It rivals the Hogwarts library," she stated, stepping further into the room. She walked up to the nearest shelf and perused the titles, lovingly running her fingers over the spines.

"I'll go collect Mothers things while you explore." Draco said, quietly leaving the room. He glanced back at her and thought that he had never seen her look so at peace.

Hermione wandered around the vast library, feeling calmer than she had in weeks. She was surprised to find a section full of Muggle literature, and filed that away for later as she continued to explore. She lost herself in the books and the knowledge they provided. She thought she could spend years in there and barely make a dent, what must it be like to own such a library?

Draco found her some time later, curled up on the window seat, surrounded by a pile of books and a cold cup of tea she probably didn't even realize was there.

"Granger, I'm afraid I have to interrupt your book-gasm. It's time to go to the Burrow," Draco drawled.

Hermione jumped as if coming out of a trance, and then blushed when she realized what he said. She must have been in there for hours, but it felt like nothing. It had been a long time since she was in a proper library.

"Goodness, I didn't realize it was so late. What were you doing this whole time?"

"I had some things to put in order," Draco said vaguely. In reality he had used her distraction as an opportunity to comb the manor for any clues his Uncle's may have left behind. Unfortunately he had no luck.

"I see. I'll just put these books back and then we can go."

"No need," Draco said, flicking his wand. The books all zoomed back to their original locations. Draco wasn't thrilled at the thought of yet another dinner with the Weasley's, but after so many he knew better than to fight it. And honestly they weren't so bad now, except for Ron, but they mainly ignored each other.

Within seconds they found themselves enveloped in the hustle and bustle that was the Burrow. Hugs and greetings were being exchanged left and right, conversations were overlapping each other, and the house smelled of delicious food. Draco glanced around the room and his jaw almost dropped at the sight before him; his mother stood at the stove cooking and laughing with Molly Weasley. Two things he never thought he'd see, most especially the cooking.

"Mother, I didn't know you could cook," he said approaching her.

"That's because I never had the need to, what with the House Elves and all. Molly here has been nice enough to show me some tips, and I'm finding that it's quite fun," Narcissa responded warmly, smiling at her son, kissing him on the cheek.

For the second time in as many days Draco thought he must be in an alternate universe. His Mother never cooked, and she never gave her smiles or showed affection so freely in front of others. What was happening to them? Before he could process it anymore he was attacked by a small blonde blob.

"Draco! I've been waiting for you all day!" Victoire shouted, jumping on him. His seeker reflexes jumped in and he caught her just in time.

"Er…that's nice," Draco replied, still uncomfortable with the little girl's fascination with him. Maybe she felt he was a kindred spirit as the only other non-ginger in the room, or perhaps she thought they were related because she came from an extremely beautiful family on her mother's side and he was strikingly handsome. He doubted he would ever fully understand, but was fairly certain it was the latter.

"Dinner is ready," Mrs. Weasley announced, beginning to levitate the dishes over to the magically enlarged table.

Everyone took their seats; Draco sat between his mother and Hermione. Victoire, wanting to be as close to him as possible, sat directly across. Dinner was a festive affair, with jokes and laughter echoing around the cozy room. Hermione was enjoying herself, but kept getting distracted by Ron who would look at her guiltily and then quickly look away. She hoped he was coming around and would apologize for how he treated her. She really did miss him; they'd always had a special kind of friendship that was different from her relationship with Harry. The next time she caught his eye she lightly smiled at him.

After the scrumptious meal, several dessert platters were brought out. George immediately helped himself to a generous piece of blueberry pie. He took a large bite and got a strange look on his face. He looked up and down the table and saw the same look on a few other faces.

"Mum, did you use a new recipe for the pie?" He asked nicely, knowing he would never hear the end of it if he insulted his mother's cooking.

"Actually, I made the pie. I've never made one before, do you like it?" Narcissa asked, a hopeful look in her eyes that she probably didn't even know was there.

"Oh…yes, it's delicious," George said, forcing himself to take another bite. A chorus of agreement sounded around the table.

Draco took a bite and desperately wanted to spit it right back out. Was there salt in this?

"Wonderful," Narcissa smiled lightly and took her own bite. She froze, and everyone else froze with her, waiting for her reaction. "Oh goodness, this is terrible. Please don't eat anymore of it," she stated.

Everyone let out a breath, relieved that they could stop eating the dreadful pie.

"Not to worry Narcissa, I believe you switched the salt and sugar, it could happen to anyone. I did things like this all the time when I was learning to cook," Molly said reassuredly.

"She did," Arthur agreed. Molly mock glared at him and then laughed along with everyone, including Narcissa. The rest of the meal was passed in much the same way, and then everyone broke into their own groups.

"Mione, would you mind helping me with James?" Ginny asked, holding the infant.

"Of course I don't mind," Hermione answered sweetly, taking hold of the baby boy and following the redhead upstairs.

Ginny got to work changing James' nappy while Hermione made silly faces at him.

"Harry told me that you and Malfoy were quite…cozy the other day," Ginny said nonchalantly.

Hermione froze for a second, but quickly gathered her composure.

"That was nothing, we were just talking and fell asleep," Hermione replied.

"If it was something you know that would be okay, right?" She asked meaningfully.

"I know Gin. Honestly, I don't have any deeper feelings for him than friendship, and I can't imagine that he would ever feel that way about me."

"Trust me, he could, and I think he well may in fact already do," the redhead replied.

"I highly doubt it, besides there's no time for any of that, not with the case," Hermione said. Ginny only smiled knowingly.

The two women went back downstairs, oblivious of Narcissa smiling to herself in the shadows, having heard everything. Hermione saw Harry and Draco talking seriously in a corner and figured it must be about the case. She was making her way over to them when Ron blocked her path.

"Hermione can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked. He had a strange tone to his voice, it was slightly hopeful, yet full of dread at the same time. As if he couldn't decide whether he wanted her to assent or refuse.

"Er…alright," Hermione said, following him to the kitchen.

"I need to tell you something, and you're not going to be happy. But before I say anything, please understand, your friendship is so important to me, and I acted out in a moment of anger," he rambled nervously.

"What did you do Ronald?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I…er…I was the source for Rita Skeeter,"he rushed out, the words blending into each other. Hermione stared at him, unable to believe that he would stoop so low. She'd known Ron to do some pretty stupid things in anger, but this could have serious repercussions. He always acted so rashly instead of thinking logically. It was one of the reasons they didn't last as a couple. They were no longer children yet he continued to act like it, making snap decisions without thinking about the consequences. She couldn't take it any longer.

SLAP

"Do you know what kind of damage you could have caused? You never think! You say our friendship is important to you? If that was true, you wouldn't do such foolish things. You have betrayed me time and again and I always forgive you, but eventually I won't be so forgiving, and you may have just reached my limit." she said angrily, as a red handprint appeared on his cheek.

She quickly walked away from Ron and into the other room to find Draco so they could leave.

"I want to go home," she stated. He looked at her quizzically.

"What's wrong?" he asked. He could tell by the look on her face that something was seriously the matter.

"I just want to leave," she said.

"Er…alright," he said standing up.

"Mione, wait!" Ron shouted, coming into the room. "I'm sorry."

"I don't want to talk to you anymore," Hermione said without any room for argument.

"Please," Ron pleaded, reaching for her hand which she quickly shook out of his grasp.

"What did he do?" Drack asked protectively, his jaw set. He looked directly at her, and she decided that he needed to know just what Ron did.

"Do you want to tell them? Or should I?" Hermione asked, dangerously calm, daring him to tell the family his latest mistake.

When Ron didn't say anything Hermione spoke up.

"Ron was the source for the Rita Skeeter article against Malfoy"

"Ron you didn't…" Harry said, disappointment lacing his voice. Ron had the decency to look ashamed.

Draco clenched his jaw, using all of his willpower not to punch the man in front of him. He worked so hard to clear his family's name and one stupid article was putting doubts back in the minds of the public all thanks to this no brain git. Everyone stared at Draco waiting for him to react, well he wasn't going to. He wouldn't let the actions of Ronald Weasley affect him, he just wasn't worth it.

"You were right Granger, I think it's time we go home," he said, his face a mask of indifference. He couldn't resist the small jab of reminding Ron that he and Hermione lived together, knowing that would irk the redhead.

They disapparated, but not before the room erupted in noise with everyone speaking at once. The silence of the flat was welcome.

Hermione sat down. She wished she could say she was surprised at what her friend had done, but truthfully she knew him too well to be truly shocked. She knew how much Ron and Draco disliked each other, but the difference between them was that Draco had grown up and Ron hadn't. After the war Ron could finally have all the things he always wanted, and he went a little overboard with that, but somehow it was never enough. He just wanted more and more, and he never matured. Draco had everything taken away from him and was forced to fight his way to a good life. He wouldn't do something as stupid as this for something as foolish as a schoolyard rivalry. It would put everything he worked for in jeopardy. And that's what Ron didn't understand. Hermione knew Ron so well that she truly did know where he came from on this, and to an extent why he did it, but she wasn't going to forgive him so quickly on this one. He not only hurt Draco and his reputation, he also could have damaged the case, and he showed a blatant disregard for her judgment after she had proven herself time and time again.

"I apologize for Ron, I don't know what got into him," Hermione said sorrowfully.

"Granger, you have absolutely nothing to apologize for. In fact, I should be thanking you, or maybe congratulating you. I saw the handprint on the weasel's cheek," he said smirking.

"I may have slapped him in the heat of the moment,"

"I wish you hadn't," Draco said.

"It's fine, I'm sure I didn't even hit him that hard,"

"No, I'm hoping you slapped him as hard as you could. However, I am upset that the weasel and I now have something in common. We've both been slapped by you," he said, alluding to the time she slapped him third year.

Hermione laughed lightly at the memory.

"It's a good thing you had already taken care of it, I saw that handprint and knew I could control myself and not beat the snot out of him. For once I could be the bigger man. Don't get me wrong, it's taking all of my self control not to go back there and kick his ass."

"Draco you're a better man than you realize. I'm not going to defend Ron's actions, but thank you for controlling you temper, it would have caused so many more problems however justified it may be."

"You're too nice for your own good. I know you'll forgive him, and I understand that he's one of your best friends, but sometimes people grow apart and you just have to accept that."

"I don't know what I'm going to do about him right now," She replied in a tone that ended the conversation. "I do know that I'm going to contact Lila about printing a retraction so that Ron can retract his statement and Rita will lose credibility."

"Thanks for having my back," Draco said sincerely.

"Always," she replied, as his figure retreated.


	18. On a Night like This

I think you will all be quite happy with this chapter. There is a lot of Dramione goodness to make up for the long wait between updates! Thank you to everyone who reviewed or favorited the story so far. I have over 100 alerts now, and 80 something reviews! I am so pleased with the response I've been getting, and can only hope it continues. If you give me a logged in review, I will respond. Thank you again!

Still Fighting It – On a Night like This

Draco hated Valentine's Day with a fiery passion. Everywhere he went he was surrounded by pink hearts and little fat babies with weapons. Why did women think that was romantic? A baby would never have the proper coordination to even shoot a bow and arrow, let alone with accurate aim. It was just absurd. Not to mention the fact that normally sane women seemed to go crazy on the days leading up to the ridiculous holiday. Luckily Hermione seemed immune, thank Merlin! He promised himself long ago that he would never take a woman who wasn't his wife out on Valentine's Day. A shag just wasn't even worth the torture. That is how much he hated the holiday.

He heard a knock on the front door and assumed it was the Thai food they ordered. He answered the door, paid the man, and turned to put the food in the kitchen. That's when he saw her. She was sitting on the couch with baggy sweats and a t-shirt on, her hair piled on top of her head like a bird's nest, eating a pint of ice cream with the largest spoon he'd ever seen, and staring at the television as some man gave an unrealistically sappy speech about how he had always loved the woman in front of him even though it had only started as a bet with his friends.

He stared at her in shock. But…she was immune! She showed none of the usual signs of Valentine's Day Craziness, or VDC as he liked to call it, such as whining over men, eating an unusually large amount of chocolate, or talking incessantly about love and marriage in the days leading up to the actual holiday.

"Granger, what in the name of Merlin are you doing?" he asked cautiously. He had never seen the bookworm in such an unkempt state before, and they'd been living together for over 3 months now.

"It's Valentine's Day," she responded, as if that was all the answer he needed.

"Yes, I'm aware. What I'm not aware of is why that means you have to look like a homeless woman, who's never seen a hairbrush before."

"I'm single. This is what single girls do on this senseless holiday." She replied morosely, never taking her eyes from the screen in front of her. She didn't even seem to notice his insult, which he was hoping would at least earn a glare.

He rolled his eyes, and turned toward his room, then paused as if fighting an internal battle. He turned back toward her.

"Get dressed," He said, a bit of a sigh in his voice.

"Why?" She asked, finally turning to look at him.

"We're going out," he stated, closing his eyes and sounding as if he was in physical pain, then stomping off to his room to get changed. He heard her bustling around putting away the ice cream and the take-out food, then her door quietly click shut.

20 minutes later he found himself knocking on her bedroom door, wondering if he'd finally lost his mind.

"Are you ready?" He asked, through the closed door.

The door opened and Hermione stepped out wearing a one-shouldered red dress that flowed to just above her knees. Her gold heels accentuated her long shapely legs. Her hair was still wild and curly, but smoother than before and pulled off to one side. She looked up at him under thick lashes, waiting for him to comment.

"Who knew this was under the baggy sweats and bird's nest of hair?" He said, teasingly. She glared at him.

"If you're just going to make fun of me all night, then I would rather stay home," she stated, turning back to her room.

He caught her wrist. "I was joking Granger, you know what I meant."

She looked at him blankly.

"You look beautiful. There, I said it, feel better?" he asked, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Not that she didn't look gorgeous, but her attractiveness is not something he often felt comfortable commenting on, because then it was all he thought about.

"Yes, actually, I do. Thank you, you clean up nicely as well." She replied, smiling. He wore a black muggle suit, with a dark plum colored dress shirt underneath and a black tie. Hermione thought suits looked much nicer than robes, and Draco could pull it off better than any man she knew.

Draco could tell that she was excited about going out, even if it wasn't with who she would have wanted. They both needed a night out anyway, and while he was disappointed that Granger wasn't immune to VDC as he had originally thought, it was also kind of nice to see her acting like a normal girl. It occurred to him in that moment that beneath the big brain and world saving she was still a woman, and should be appreciated for that. Her choice of male best friends probably didn't make her feel all that feminine very often. He would give her tonight and make her feel as special as she deserved.

"So where are you taking me?" she asked, putting her cream colored coat on.

"You'll just have to trust me," He stated instead of answering, offering his hand. She grinned, placing her hand in his without a second thought and in a moment they were gone.

Hermione looked at the street in front of her but none of it looked familiar. A cobblestone path lead to old-fashioned looking buildings. The road was bustling with people filtering in and out of shops and restaurants. It reminded her of Hogsmeade, but she would have recognized it immediately if it were.

"Where are we?" she asked quizzically.

"Turn around," Draco replied, a knowing smirk gracing his lips.

She slowly turned and saw the last thing she expected. The Eiffel Tower.

"Paris," she breathed, a hand fluttering to her chest. She came here on holiday once with her parents as a young girl and fell in love with the city, but how did he know?

"I noticed the painting of the Eiffel Tower in your bedroom and assume you've visited before, but judging by your reaction when we came here for the mission, I venture a guess that you've never been to wizarding Paris before," Draco stated, almost as though reading her mind.

"You guessed right," she replied, somewhat surprised at his level of observance. She was used to hinting and then eventually just asking for what she wanted. It was nice to be surprised.

"Well I just so happen to have an in at the best restaurant in the city. Shall we?" He asked, holding out his arm for her.

"Do you really think we'll be able to get in on Valentine's Day without a reservation?" She asked skeptically, looping her arm through his.

"Granger, when will you learn? There is no limit to what a Malfoy can do." He said haughtily, but there was a hint of laughter in his eyes.

They walked down the busy street until they came upon the elegant restaurant. Malfoy walked in as if he owned the place, and to Hermione's surprise they were quickly seated at an intimate table for two and Draco ordered what was sure to be an outrageously expensive bottle of wine.

"They fawn over you as if you own the place," Hermione commented as the waiter walked away.

"That's because I do," he said, matter of fact. "Well, the Malfoy family does."

She looked at him skeptically, not sure if he was being serious or not. "I wasn't aware that the Malfoy's were restaurateurs," she said slowly.

He chuckled, "We're not, but this has always been my mother's favorite place to dine when we would stay at our home here in France, so one year my father bought it for her."

"He just bought her a restaurant…" she said blankly, trying to imagine receiving a gift like that.

"Hardly the most extravagant gift he ever gave her," Draco replied nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders. "You should see the island."

"Island?" she spluttered. Who actually bought an island?

"Yes, an island," he said, smiling lightly at her reaction.

Hermione suddenly started giggling. "Sorry," she said, "I was just trying to picture you on the beach frolicking in the sand,"

"First of all, Malfoy's never frolick," he said, mock glaring. "And second of all," he said, the glare turning in to a smirk, "if you wanted to see me shirtless you don't have to imagine it, just ask."

Hermione blushed lightly as she remembered walking into his room one night and being unable to take her eyes off of his muscular chest.

"I wouldn't mind going to this island sometime," she said, bringing her mind back to the present.

"Well maybe once this hellacious case is over we could go," he suggested lightly.

"That sounds wonderful," Hermione agreed, thinking of how delightful it would be to be someplace warm and sunny.

"Of course, all the beaches are nude only," Draco stated, straight faced.

"Perfect, I only go to nude beaches," Hermione replied, winking. Draco almost spit out his wine. He opened his mouth to reply, but it was at the moment the waiter approached. They both placed their orders, and sipped their wine in companionable silence. Draco's mind was still on Hermione's nude beach comment. He couldn't decide if she was serious or not, but he would hope she was.

Hermione glanced around at all of the couples in the room. There were the ones who were slightly awkward with each other showing that clearly it was their first valentine's together, the couples that had been together so long they barely even needed to say anything to each other, and the couples who just couldn't keep their hands off each other. She found that although she was surrounded by what appeared to be happy couples, she couldn't feel even a tinge of the loneliness she felt earlier.

"What do you think that couple is talking about?" She asked, discreetly pointing to a young couple a few tables over. The woman was talking animatedly, and the man looked outright scared.

Draco looked over and chuckled. "My guess is they recently got engaged and she is now prattling on about weddings and marriage and kids. He looks like he's about to wet himself because she just said she wants five kids, which in his mind is five kids too many."

She laughed and pointed out another couple. They kept this up through the meal, each back story getting more and more ridiculous.

They left the posh restaurant and walked down the cobblestone street. Hermione was fascinated with Wizarding Paris. It was so similar yet so different from Britain. It all just seemed slightly more extravagant. The wands in the window of the shop had intricate designs carved into the handles that must have taken hours and could only have been done by hand, although she doubted they were made as finely as Ollivanders. The cloaks had decorative fastenings, and the witch and wizard hats were a little shorter and people wore them slightly tipped to the side. It was all little details, but Hermione loved it.

They were walking down the street, coming up to the last of the shops, when Hermione stopped and turned to Draco.

"Thank you for bringing me here," she said sincerely.

"You're welcome," he said, "but the night's not over yet." He led her to a shop on the left and through the secret entrance into Muggle Paris. She wasn't quite sure where they were going but she trusted him to guide her. Draco navigated the busy city streets with ease, as they each pointed out sites they had been to before or places they would like to visit. As the Eiffel tower grew larger Hermione figured out where they were going. Finally they stood directly in front of the large monument.

"We can't visit Paris without going up the Eiffel Tower," Draco said.

Hermione stopped dead in her tracks.

"What's the matter? " Draco asked when he realized she wasn't walking with him.

"Er…I may have a small fear of heights," she responded quietly.

"What's this? Have I finally found your weakness?" He teased. She lightly smacked his arm.

"I'm fine with looking at it from here." She stated.

"Nonsense, the view from the tower is the best part. Don't worry, I won't let you fall." He said, taking her hand.

Hermione practiced some deep breathing tricks the whole elevator ride up and shut her eyes, trying to convince herself that she was on the ground. When it came to a stop she slowly stepped out, her eyes trained on the floor.

"Granger, look up," Draco said gently squeezing her hand. She counted to five to steel her nerves and then slowly lifted her head.

She gasped, "It's beautiful," she whispered, her fear momentarily forgotten. She didn't think she had ever seen such a sight. The city lights shone beneath her, and she could see for miles. She could just make out some small moving specks that must have been cars. Being up here made her feel infinitely small, yet incredibly powerful at the same time.

"I used to come up here and just sit for hours," Draco said, "it's so peaceful and quiet, like I'm standing on top of the world."

"It's like we're the only two left in the city," she agreed. And it really was. Draco had slipped the elevator attendant a hefty sum to give them 20 minutes alone.

Hermione shivered as she looked out over the beauty of the city. In her mind, there was nothing more captivating.

"Are you cold?" He asked, placing his jacket over her shoulders. She accepted the coat and wrapped her arm back around his, moving in close in the pretext of being cold. She didn't tell him that she cast a warming charm ten minutes ago, and he didn't let on that he knew.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, just existing together. There were no expectations of them, no demands, or responsibility. They didn't have to be any specific version of themselves. She wasn't the bookworm and he wasn't the Death Eaters son. They were just Draco and Hermione, standing on top of the world.

She turned to him, "Draco, I don't know how to thank you. I know this isn't the way you wanted to spend your evening, but it's been incredible."

"There is nowhere else I would rather be right now," he said, and she saw the truth in his eyes, and she couldn't help herself. She wrapped her hand around his neck and brought her lips up to his kissing him fiercely. To say Draco was surprised was an understatement, he never thought of her as a girl who would make the first move, but he recovered quickly, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close responding with just as much fervor. He had been just about to kiss her at that moment too.

Hermione didn't think she had ever been kissed like this. Every cell in her body felt alive. He ran his tongue over her bottom lip and she pulled him closer, granting him access, as their tongues explored. Her heart raced like it was running a marathon, and for once her mind was blissfully ignorant of her surroundings, even her fear of heights. She never wanted this moment to end.

But nothing can last forever. Suddenly the lift doors opened with a ding. Draco and Hermione were brought back to earth with a jolt by a crowd entering the platform. They broke apart, but stayed close. Draco pulled Hermione to the shadowed corner and disapparated with a quiet pop before anyone could see them. They landed in the middle of the flat.

It was clear that both were nervous of the other now that they were home. Something huge had just happened, and neither knew what to make of it. Everything seemed different now that they were standing in the bright light of the small apartment. Hermione was the first to speak. She tried to come off confident and assured.

"Tonight was wonderful, thank you again," she said, gathering her courage and pressing a light kiss to his lips. She turned and quickly retreated to her bedroom before seeing his reaction.

Draco stood there in dumb shock for a moment. Had this night really happened? It was a night of things he thought would never happen in a million years, starting with a valentine's date and ending with kissing Hermione Granger. He couldn't say that the thought had never crossed his mind because that would be an outright lie, but he certainly never thought it would actually happen. The only problem was, what would happen now? Would she expect a relationship? Should they pretend it never happened? _Could_ they pretend it never happened? It would probably be best for the case if they weren't involved with each other, but was that what he wanted? Was he really considering dating Hermione Granger? No, it would never work. Granger was just feeling lonely tonight and he created the perfect romantic atmosphere, the kiss didn't mean anything. Tomorrow, he would just apologize for stepping out of line and say it was a mistake. That would be the end of it. It was what he wanted. Right?

Hermione stepped in to her room, and leaned back against the door. She brought her hand up to her lips and smiled. The night was perfect; she had never been taken on a more romantic date. And to think, it wasn't even a real date! Draco really knew how to make a girl feel special, she thought as she plopped on the bed. She closed her eyes contentedly as she committed every detail to memory. The restaurant, his face when she made the nude beach comment, the walk through the city, the Eiffel Tower, the kiss. Suddenly, her eyes shot open. The kiss! She had actually kissed Draco Malfoy! What must he think of her now? Pathetic, lonely Hermione couldn't get a date so she forced him to go out on the dreaded holiday and then attacked him with her lips. She groaned. Maybe she should say it was a mistake. But, was it? She could see now that she did have feelings for him, and she wasn't afraid to admit that to herself, but were those feelings returned? And if they were, what did she really want from him? She wasn't sure if she was ready for a relationship, and really couldn't think of Draco as being a relationship kind of guy. She closed her eyes and calmed her thoughts. She would just say it was a mistake, after all, it probably was. She just hoped she could say it first.

The next morning Hermione sat at the kitchen table reading the newspaper and eating a bowl of cereal. Draco walked in and poured himself a cup of coffee that Hermione had brewed for him, like she did every morning. A tense silence stretched between them.

"Granger, about last night…" Draco started.

"Wait, if you're going to say it was a mistake then just…don't," Hermione said, cutting him off. She planned on being the one to declare it a mistake, if only so he wouldn't feel bad or pity her, but she found that she couldn't.

"I wasn't," He was surprised to find that this was the truth. There was no point in denying it anymore to himself or to others; he had feelings for Hermione Granger. He walked in here this morning with every intention of telling her the kiss should be forgotten, but realized when he saw her that he didn't want to forget.

"You weren't?" She sounded both shocked and hopeful, "Then what were you going to say?"

He paused trying to gather his thoughts. He honestly wasn't sure what he had been about to say.

"Well…I, er…that is, last night was…er…I just…er, I think…" He murmured, trying to find the right words. Hermione didn't think she had ever seen him so flustered.

"How about I start?" She suggested, taking pity and saving him. She felt much more confident now that she knew he was just as nervous and unsure as she.

He only nodded in response.

"I had a good time last night," she stated simply, figuring this would be the best way to start.

"I did too," he replied, glad to find that words returned. He couldn't ever remember losing his cool like that in front of a woman in his adult life.

"We should… do it again sometime," she suggested slowly, hoping he felt the same way.

He smiled a rare but true smile.

"Yes, we should," he agreed.

And that was it. Maybe that was enough for now. Sometimes the most complicated questions had the simplest answers. There was no need for any declarations of love, not that either of them thought themselves in love with the other, but neither could deny a mutual attraction. Maybe it would be a fleeting romance that ends in disaster, but there was always the chance that it could turn into something deeper than either ever imagined. And that small chance was always worth the try.

Ok, so a couple of things about this chapter. First of all, I realized as I was finishing writing it that I don't know if V-Day is actually celebrated all that much in Britain, or if it is more of an American thing. Also, I apologize for my lack of description of Paris, but I've never been there so I was at a loss as to how to describe it.

Anyway, I really tapped into my gooey romantic side this chapter. My reasoning for pouring out all the romance was that I figured Draco and Hermione are so blind to their feelings for the other that it would take something blatantly obvious to make them finally admit it. Something like being in the City of Love on the most romantic night of the year would do the trick. I figure Draco would know how to take a girl on a proper date, especially one that he feels so strongly about even if he hasn't acknowledged it yet. So l hope you liked it, and let me know what you think!


	19. Too Close

Still Fighting It – Too Close

"Granger, you spend entirely too much time researching," Draco commented, glancing at Hermione as she sat at her desk tirelessly poring over large tomes. He had his own stack of obscenely thick books in front of him that he was muddling through.

"How else do you expect to find answers? Now stop distracting me, I need to focus." She said, not noticing him coming up behind her.

"But distractions can be so much fun," he whispered, leaning down behind her. She jumped at first, and then sighed in contentment as he kissed her neck.

In the week and a half since Valentine's Day Draco and Hermione had seen many changes in their relationship. The biggest change being that much more kissing was involved. It was still too soon to define the relationship, but for the time being they were both happy, and that was all they needed.

"Draco…I really need to get back to work," she said with a halfhearted attempt at seriousness.

"You're telling me that you would rather continue researching than take a snog break with the most handsome man on Earth?" he asked haughtily, raising one eyebrow.

She turned to him, laughing lightly. "I guess when you put it that way the choice is obvious," she said, smiling flirtatiously. She leaned in slightly, and then deliberately turned away and back to her books, a mischievous look in her eyes.

"Oh no you don't," he said, turning the chair around and kissing her soundly. _She responded eagerly, the waiting research immediately forgotten. _Without breaking the kiss he easily picked her up and carried her over to the couch. She ran her fingers down his back as he settled on top of her.

Kissing Hermione was different than kissing anyone he had ever been with before. She possessed an underlying ferocity that shot out of her like electricity. It was like she put everything she had into that one kiss, but she did it every time. He rarely snogged a girl unless he knew it would lead to more, but he knew Hermione wanted to take it slow, and this didn't bother him as much as he thought it would. Maybe it stemmed from the fact that he actually respected her, unlike the girls who threw themselves at him because of his money or reputation. Or maybe it was because she was a really good kisser. Who knew?

They broke apart, breathing heavily.

"You're a bad influence on me," Hermione teased.

"Thank you," he said, as if it were a great compliment. "I may be able to bring you to the dark side yet."

"Hmm…that might be fun," she reached up, kissing his lips lightly, "but it will have to wait. Time to get back to work."

Draco sighed in mock frustration, and got up.

"We've been at this for weeks and have yet to find anything relevant. I'm starting to think they made the whole thing up to distract us." He stated, partially joking, but mostly serious.

"The thought crossed my mind as well, but there seems to be some truth to it. Why else would the victims be one person from each blood lineage? If it were to make a point then I think they would be more obvious with their victim choices." She said, voicing the thoughts she'd had many times before. "I'm beginning to think that we need to approach it differently though. I've been searching for legendary magical artifacts, but perhaps it's not as simple as that. I've heard of rumoured spells and potions that supposedly give the user unlimited power."

"Yes, there are spells and potions of legend like that, but they've never been found and are largely thought to be false," Draco said. He had heard of these supposed matters all of his life, it was a subject that was popular with families who dabbled in dark magic, but had never been verified. As far as he knew there was nothing to suggest otherwise.

"The Deathly Hallows was only supposed to be legend as well, and those came out to be quite real, as you well know," Hermione countered. She didn't know if her theory was right, but she didn't think it should be thrown out quite so quickly. "I think it would be best if we don't discredit any theories without doing the proper research."

Draco nodded in agreement, and turned back to the large stack of books in front of him. Earlier in the week they went to the manor and Hermione raided the library. They had already gone through an impressive amount, but had yet to find anything substantial. Kingsley called a meeting earlier in the week because of a small attack that occurred in a small Scottish village. He stressed the importance of finding whatever it was the Death Eaters were searching for, and assigned Draco and Hermione with this task, since they couldn't contribute much to the field work. After Hermione wrote a small article about the attack, she started researching fervently and hadn't stopped since.

The duo worked in a comfortable silence, leafing through book after book. Finally Draco came across something that could be meaningful. He added the details to the very short list of possibilities.

"Granger, I think I found something," he said, breaking the silence. "I found the legend of a dagger that absorbs the magic of those that it kills. It needs to absorb the blood of every type of magical and non-magical human being to activate its power, and then it will take in the magical properties of anyone whose blood touches it. Supposedly there is some sort of incantation that can be used to obtain the magic within the dagger, but it is unknown."

"Interesting find. Does it say anything else?" Hermione asked, with a hint of curiousity.

"Not much, there were some theories of where the dagger may be, but they were all disproven." Draco replied. "It sounds like a crude way for squibs or near squibs to gain power."

"I was thinking that as well. Let's put that at the top of the list of possibilities. I've been looking in to blood magic and potions and found some promising leads as well. There is one potion in particular that requires all of the blood types and basically gives the drinker unlimited power, but it is thought to be a falsehood created in the dark ages to inspire fear in the magical community in order for a dark wizard of the time to take power. The problem is everything I've come across regarding this potion is so unclear that it almost seems purposely vague, and that's what makes me think there may be something to it. There is also legend of a potion and spell combination that can be used to actually create witches and wizards. If that were real, it could be used to create an army, which would be disastrous. It is said that all witches and wizards originate from those who were given the original magical powers."

"Yes, I've heard of that one. Believe it or not my Father used to tell that as a bedtime story. The legend says that in ancient times there was a Well hidden in the deep recesses of the world whose water had magical properties, and etched in the stone of this magical Well were words of enchantment. If one drank from the Well and recited the spell then they would be blessed with magic for the rest of their life. However, one had to survive the harrowing journey to the Well in the first place, which was something very few accomplished." Draco recounted the story he had heard many times as a young child.

"Hmm," Hermione murmured, deep in thought, "that story seems to match up to this potion and spell."

"But these are just legends and myths, Granger. Do you really believe in a Well with water that gave people magical powers?" he asked, cynically.

"Not necessarily, but every legend has a grain of truth. With each telling the truth may get distorted, but it's still there, you just have to find it," she claimed.

"Well maybe we can find it after eating some food," Draco suggested. Hermione looked slightly unsure but at that precise moment her stomach growled as if it understood Draco's suggestion.

"I guess we better," she agreed, laughing. "Where should we go tonight?"

Books lined every flat surface of the small apartment, making it impossible to do almost anything, including cook. Draco and Hermione had gone out every night, usually in Muggle London so they could be freer with each other and not be noticed. They both agreed that it would be best not to tell anyone yet about their recent relationship change, despite the fact that most of the magical community already believed them to be dating.

Draco and Hermione decided on a small Italian restaurant nearby in Muggle London that they frequented fairly often. It had been Hermione's favorite restaurant since she first moved in to the flat a few years ago, and she quickly got Draco hooked too. It was one of the few things they didn't fight about in the beginning, after she dragged him there the first time that is. It was fairly close so they decided to walk.

It had been snowing all day so they didn't encounter many people on their way. They made their way to the quaint restaurant and ordered what had come to be their "usual" meals.

"How is your mother doing at the burrow?" Hermione asked.

"She is well. She actually likes it there, she says the house is "full of life" and she likes not knowing what will happen next." Draco said, never expecting that outcome.

"The Burrow is always interesting to an outsider. As an only child I found it fascinating when I first visited. There's always drama, someone's mad at another one moment, and then they're laughing together the next."

"Mother said the whole family is angry with the Weasel for what he did, and that there have been many fights over it."

"Yes, well, I can't say he doesn't deserve their anger," Hermione said dismissively, indicating it was time for a subject change. She hadn't discussed Ron since the big blow up at the burrow, it was just too hurtful to know that someone she considered one of her best friends could do something so cruel. The article was retracted, with Ron publicly announcing he lied, but she couldn't get over the fact that he did it in the first place. She just needed time.

"Would you like to get dessert?" He asked, blatantly changing the subject. She was happy for that he could read her so well, and they enjoyed the rest of their meal together.

Hermione and Draco exited the restaurant a little while later. The street was lined with snow and not a single person was in sight. Hermione loved snowy nights like this. There was a peaceful quality to the air, like nothing bad could touch you, yet also fragility because that peace could so easily disappear. There was a certain silence that came with a snowfall; it was like the world was holding its breath. Hermione closed her eyes and breathed in the crisp cold air. Draco wrapped his arm around her waist and they set off down the empty street towards home.

Every once in a while they had to make sure to use the front door so the neighbors wouldn't think they lived next door to an agoraphobe, so they quickly climbed the stairs to the second floor.

"Coming to the door like this feels like a proper date," Hermione said, "where you kiss me goodnight and drop me off, instead of coming in and going to our separate bedrooms."

"Granger, I've spent less time in my room in the past week than I did before I even moved in," Draco commented. After a particularly bad round of nightmares a few nights ago Hermione crawled into bed with Draco seeking comfort and since then it had become normal for them to share her room.

"But if a proper goodnight kiss is what you want, then I suppose that wouldn't be a problem," he leaned in, closing the distance between them. She smiled as his lips touched hers, and reached behind her to open the door.

Almost immediately, Draco broke away and pushed her behind him. Blinking at the suddenness of it all, Hermione came to her senses and gasped. Her apartment was trashed. Ripped books littered the floor along with broken dishes, her couch was torn to shreds, the television lay smashed on the ground, and MUDBLOOD was burned into the wall. In a split second she had her wand out ready for anyone that may be waiting.

"Stay behind me," Draco whispered. She had the sense not to argue, and followed him as he crept further in to the room and toward the back of the flat. The bedrooms looked to be untouched, with everything in its proper place, except for an envelope on Hermione's bed.

She approached cautiously, checking for any curses that may be on the letter. Finding it to be clean she picked it up and slowly slid the letter out. Her eyes flew over the page as she read.

Granger,

It should come as no surprise that I know you've been behind the articles regarding my work. I have known for quite some time, however, I am merciful and have decided to leave you alone…until now. You're far too nosy for your own good, and from now on you will keep that nose out of my business if you know what's good for you. I will not tolerate you interfering with my plans. If you stop now you and those you care for will be safe. This is the only warning you will receive.

It wasn't signed.

She looked at Draco, wondering what he was thinking. She couldn't say she was all that surprised the Death Eaters had figured it out, after all, she was the logical choice and having a bodyguard made it pretty obvious. What had her perplexed was the tone of the letter. It was so different from the first threat she received. Whereas the first one could almost be described as playful, this one was serious and menacing, but also somewhat wary. He was scared. They must have been getting close to figuring it all out.

"He's scared…" Hermione muttered.

"I came to that conclusion as well," Draco agreed, "he wants to threaten you into submission because he knows the damage you could do if you learn of his plans. We were getting too close."

"We need to see what they took," Hermione stated. She sent her patronus to Harry and Kingsley before she and Draco headed out to the disaster area that was her living room. Hermione immediately went over to her desk looking for her research. She started sifting through ripped pages that littered her desk, while Draco began picking up books from the floor.

Harry came through the floo seconds later. He quickly took in the damage and immediately went to Hermione.

"Are you alright, Mione?"

"Yes, I'm fine. We weren't here when it happened," she explained as Kingsley came in through the floo as well.

"How did they even get in? Didn't you have protective wards?" Harry asked.

"Of course I did. Most wards can be broken if you try hard enough. I've been thinking about it, and I think they must have been watching us for quite some time…" Hermione stated uneasily, she didn't like the idea of anyone watching her without being aware of it, but that was the only logical answer.

"Why do you say that?"

"There are too many things they know that they shouldn't. Why did they choose today of all days? Just before we left we were discussing possible artifacts they could be searching for, and then they come in and steal the research? It's too much of a coincidence."

"Have you determined what's missing?" Harry asked.

"From what I can tell so far, all of my notes, and what looks to be several books. Most of the books were torn apart and scattered across the room, but I have yet to find anything from the books I was researching about potions." Hermione replied. She hadn't been able to do a thorough search to see what else was missing.

"The bedrooms were untouched, except for a letter left on Granger's bed," Draco added, handing Kingsley the letter. Harry read it over his shoulder, concern etching his face.

"It concerns me that they have known your identity for so long but done nothing to act on it," Kingsley stated after reading the letter. "With the speed in which they got past your wards, they clearly have known how to do so for quite some time. Have you ever noticed anything odd or out of place?"

"You think they've been here before?" Draco asked.

"I think it's a possibility," Kingsley said.

"I haven't noticed anything," Hermione stated, "but I suppose it could be possible. Malfoy and I are here most of the time though; it would be fairly difficult to get in."

"Be that as it may, we need to search the rooms for any evidence," Kingsley stated firmly. It was moments like this that reminded Hermione of why he could be so intimidating. He sent a quick message to Aurors Williams and Mercer, and they joined the small group momentarily. Orders were given out, Williams and Mercer focused on the kitchen and living room area, Kingsley searched Draco's room and Harry went to Hermione's. Draco oversaw Williams and Mercer, while Hermione followed Harry.

"Mione, why are there men's sleep pants on your chair?"

"I er…like to wear men's sleep pants sometimes," she lied. "What does it matter anyway? I doubt the Death Eaters found my sleepwear to be anything worthwhile," she quickly snatched them back. In reality they were Draco's, but she didn't want to tell Harry that.

"Alright…" Harry said with confusion in his voice, as he searched the bedside table for any dark items or curses. He ran his hand along the edge of the table and his fingers bumped into something. Bending down, he saw a small black circular object attached to underside of the edge.

"What is this?" Harry asked. She joined him, and gently pulled the object off. Her eyes widened as she recognized what it was.

"Harry, it's a bug! That's how they were listening to us!" she exclaimed, taking it from him and searching the rest of the room. There weren't any more in her room but she found one in Draco's and then headed out to the living area where she found one attached to the lamp shade, another one under her desk, and the last one under the kitchen table. Finally, she turned to face everyone and explain.

"These devices are how they have been listening to us," she declared, "it's a muggle device that their law enforcement uses."

"Why would they use a muggle device?" Mercer asked, wondering why the pureblood elitists would ever even think of using something muggle.

"I can't say for sure, though it's certainly unexpected," she replied. It didn't make much sense yet, but she was positive that's what the black objects she held were used for.

"How many did you find?" Harry asked.

"Four," Hermione replied, deliberately leaving one out as she handed them to him. She figured they were listening and had an idea. If she kept one she could feed them wrong information, and maybe finally get one step ahead. She just had to relay this idea to everyone else without the Death Eaters hearing. As the others discussed possible reasons for the use of the bugs, Hermione silently scribbled a quick note on one of the torn book pages outlining her plan and passed it to Draco. He passed the note around to the others, as she placed the device back under her desk.

"Mione, I think the two of you should stay at my place tonight, let Mercer and Williams finish up here," Harry suggested, after reading the note, knowing they would need to discuss some things in private.

"I suppose that would be the best," Hermione said slowly, ignoring Draco's emphatic head shaking. She knew he wouldn't want to stay there, but they needed to leave if they were going to be able to speak freely.

"I'll just let Ginny know as you two get your things together. Come through the floo when you're ready," He said, and disappeared in the fireplace. Kingsley gave Williams and Mercer some final orders and then he too took his leave.

"Please don't make me stay the night at Potter's," Draco muttered as they walked back toward their bedrooms. He didn't mind Harry anymore, but that didn't mean he wanted to have a bloody sleepover!

"It's the safest place for us and we can't stay here tonight," Hermione stated, knowing there was really no other option. Instead of responding Draco just went to his room and started packing some clothes, grumbling the whole time. Hermione rolled her eyes half-heartedly and followed suit.

Several minutes later she stepped into his room with a small bag in hand.

"Are you ready?" She asked.

"Try as I may I can't think of a good enough reason to put it off any longer," he said, somewhat playfully.

"It's only one night," she said, grabbing his hand and dragging him to the fireplace.

One by one they appeared in the empty kitchen of Grimmauld Place.

"Mione, is that you? We're in the drawing room," Ginny shouted.

Hermione led the way to the drawing room, as Draco followed behind. Despite the fact that the home belonged to his Mother's family, he had never been there before now. He supposed a lot of remodeling was done to bring it to the present state it was in. He imagined the place to be dark and dreary, but found that it was inviting and comfortable. Ginny's doing, he suspected.

"Harry told me what happened, are you alright?" Ginny asked as soon as they entered the room, immediately giving Hermione a tight hug.

"Yes, we're fine. We weren't there when it happened," Hermione replied. It was finally starting to sink in, and now that she was here, she was glad to be away from it all. She returned the hug, needing it more than she realized.

"Would you like anything? Tea? Coffee? Firewhiskey?" Ginny asked, pulling away.

"Firewhiskey," Draco and Hermione replied in unison. Draco raised an eyebrow at Hermione, he had never seen her drink anything but wine before.

"Alright," Ginny chuckled, "I'll get it for you. Harry is just putting the boys down for bed, and he'll be down in a minute." She left the room.

"I just want this all to be over," Hermione commented wearily, slumping on the sofa. She was suddenly so tired of it all. It almost seemed like all the fighting they did was useless; there would always be some form of evil out there harming innocents. Maybe it wasn't worth it to fight so hard. Maybe she should just keep her head down and focus on her own life.

"It will be soon," Draco replied comfortingly as he sat down next to her. She leaned her head on his shoulder, and sighed in frustration. He wasn't usually one to be optimistic, but he had faith in his own abilities as well hers. They would figure this puzzle out soon enough.

"Maybe we should give up," She sighed, dejectedly.

"Impossible. You're Hermione Granger, you never give up." He scoffed.

"You're right, the excitement of the night has finally set in, that's all." She knew she was just tired and felt like complaining, but she couldn't help feeling like the weight of the world was on her shoulders, and she was sick of it.

"However, it you do decide to give up, I know of a perfectly secluded island we could run away to."

"Mmmm, sunshine and warmth…if I close my eyes I can almost imagine we're on the beach right now," she said quietly.

"On a nude beach," Draco added suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Ah yes, of course," Hermione sarcastically agreed, laughing.

Harry and Ginny entered carrying four shots of firewhiskey. Draco and Hermione quickly moved apart, which only made their previous position more obvious, but nothing was said.

"Here's to…ridding the world of evil scum," Harry toasted, knocking back his shot along with the others.

"Ah, that's better," Hermione said as the warmth of the firewhiskey worked its magic, relaxing her just enough that she no longer felt like bursting.

"Wow Granger, I half expected you to burst into a coughing fit," Draco said, alluding to the fact that she rarely drank, and when she did it was never firewhiskey.

"Please, Malfoy, you would be passed out on the floor before I was even tipsy," She replied.

He raised an eyebrow, "Careful, or I may have to challenge you to a drinking contest sometime," he said playfully.

"Perhaps one day, but not tonight," She smiled.

"I suppose we should get to work," Harry said, "You two can continue flirting later."

Ginny smiled knowingly. It was clear that something had changed between the two, but she would wait for Hermione to come to her.

"As I said earlier, I kept one of the listening devices so that we can feed them false information, or maybe even create some kind of a trap." Hermione stated.

"Kingsley explained that our highest priorities are to find out who is behind this faction and what they are searching for." Harry said, relaying a conversation he had with Kingsley earlier in the week.

"We've been researching nonstop and have come up with a few theories so far, but all of our notes were taken, as well as most of the books," Draco said.

"That's true," Hermione agreed, "but I think if we take a closer look at what was left behind we may gain some insight. For instance, I noticed that all of the books concerning legendary potions and spells were taken. I won't know for sure until I can thoroughly examine the books that were left behind, but I think that may be a good place to start. Malfoy knows the story of the enchanted Well that supposedly created witches and wizards, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find information on that."

"I've heard of that as well," Ginny declared, "It's a quite common tale for pureblood children."

"Tomorrow we can discuss your version of the tale. We also need to return to the library at the Manor."

"I will talk to George and see if he can find some way to trick the listening devices so you can talk more freely. Also, I think you should stop writing your articles. There's no sense in making them angry right now," Harry said, knowing she wouldn't be happy about this.

"Harry I can't stop doing my job because of a little danger. However much I may want to give up there's a larger part of me that won't allow it, and writing these articles is part of the way in which I can fight back."

"Harry doesn't want you to give up, he would never want that. He just doesn't want you to put yourself in unnecessary danger," Ginny expressed.

"That's what Malfoy is for. He's been here this whole time to protect me so that I can do this job, I know he'll keep me safe," Hermione argued.

Everyone turned to Malfoy, who had been suspiciously quiet during this exchange. He knew that if it came to a fight Hermione could defend herself and he would do everything in his power to keep her safe, but the events of tonight reminded him that sometimes it wasn't enough.

"Well…what do you think?" Hermione asked, pursing her lips. Draco knew this wasn't a good sign.

"I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I agree with them. The column is an unnecessary danger that we don't have the time to worry about right now. We should be putting all of our energy toward catching them, and I don't see a newspaper article doing that." Draco explained.

Hermione was silent for a moment, and then finally assented.

"Fine, I won't write any more articles about the Death Eaters," she grumbled. She didn't necessarily agree, but there was no use arguing.

"Thank you," Ginny said.

"We can continue this discussion tomorrow, and come up with some ideas of the kind of false information we want to convey. For now I'm going to go to bed and try to clear my mind," Hermione stated.

She slowly climbed the stairs to "her room". It was the room she had always stayed in since the summer before fifth year. The room looked entirely different than it had back then, but the memories were still there. She thought of the time spent huddled up in that house waiting to act and never having the power to call the shots. She wasn't that powerless teenage girl anymore looking to others to tell her what to do. She had power, and it came in the form of words. True, she said she wouldn't write any more articles, but she never said anything about a letter. She sat down at the small desk and began to write.

**Response to Death Eater Threats**

**By: Hermione Granger**

**Instead of a full article providing the details of the recent Death Eater activity, I write this open letter to the "leader". I, Hermione Granger, am publicly declaring myself as the author of this column, and have been for several months now. The original writer was Emma Winters, who readers may remember as running the gossip column. The Death Eaters killed her because she knew too much, but she will always be remembered at The Daily Prophet for having the courage to stand up to the face of evil, even if it meant putting herself in danger. Recently, the Death Eaters tried to scare me into submission, but there's one thing they need to know: I don't scare easy. I've faced situations much worse than a threatening letter and a trashed flat. Is that really the best you can do? I will not back down, and you should do well to remember that I've fought evil scum like you before and won. There is no doubt in my mind that you will fail, and I will once again succeed. You gave me a warning to back off, well I'm returning the favor. Good will triumph once more.**

She read over the letter and satisfied with it, she attached it to her owl with instructions to go straight to Lila. She wanted this letter published as soon as possible, before Draco, Ginny, and Harry had a chance to learn of it. She knew they wouldn't be happy, saying that it only put her in more danger, and maybe that was true, but she felt that it needed to be done, and it was too late to change her mind now. An angry death eater may be just what they needed. After all, anger often led to mistakes.

I hope you liked it! This is the longest chapter I've written so far. Thank you to everyone who reviewed or added to favorites/alerts! I'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback.


	20. Plans

A/N: I made it to over 100 reviews! Thank you so much! I can't explain how much the positive feedback means to me. Thank you to anyone who reviewed or added me to favorite/alert lists. I hope you continue to enjoy the story as the mystery begins to unravel. I can't believe I'm at 20 chapters, I never expected it to be this long, but am so glad it is. Looking forward to the reviews!

Still Fighting It – Plans

Draco was wakened by a _tap tap tap_ on the window. He cracked one eye open and saw that it was the Daily Prophet bird. _Bloody bird,_ he thought to himself as he climbed out of bed. He really didn't know why he even kept his Daily Prophet subscription, considering he lived with one of the journalists. He paid the owl and took the unwelcome paper. He moved to throw it on the bedside table but a name in the headline caught his eye; Hermione Granger. His face grew paler with each word he read. _Stupid girl,_ he thought as he stomped down the hall to her room.

"Get up," he said through clenched teeth, throwing the paper on her bed. She woke with a start.

"What's wrong?" She asked, still groggy from sleep. He didn't reply, only stared pointedly at the paper by her leg. She glanced down, and then nervously looked back up at him.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" he said quietly, trying to control his temper.

"Of course not," she replied impertinently.

"Because there is no other reason that a sane person would do this," Draco continued.

"I had a reason, if you just let me explain," Hermione said carefully. She didn't think she had ever seen him this angry. His entire body was tense, as if a single move would send him over the edge…or maybe all it took was a word.

"Explain?! You mean explain how you could be so stupid? Explain how you could write this after swearing you wouldn't? Explain how you've not only put your own life in danger, but mine too? Tell me Hermione, which would you like to explain first?" He shouted, losing any semblance of control he had.

It wasn't missed by her that this was the first time he ever called her by her first name, but now was not the time to think of it. "I do not need your permission to do my job. You are here to protect me, not order me about. I had a reason for my actions, and I will deal with the consequences." She calmly but assertively replied.

"How am I supposed to protect you when you constantly and deliberately put yourself in harm's way?"

"I never asked you to be here!" She shouted back in reply, wanting to take it back as soon as the words left her lips. Draco's face fell for half a second as he took in her words, but he schooled it into his practiced indifference before she could notice.

"What in the name of merlin is going on in here?" Ginny whisper shouted as she entered the room, Harry right behind her. "I have two children trying to sleep down the hall and you two are shouting as if you're at a Quidditch match!

"Ask Granger," Draco said icily, "Or better yet, read the Daily Prophet."

Without saying a word, Harry picked up the paper from the bed and read Hermione's letter aloud. All three adults stared at Hermione, one worried, one disappointed, and one furious.

"Mione, what have you done?" Harry asked, his face white as a sheet, "You promised you wouldn't write anything else."

"I only promised that I wouldn't write an article, I never said anything about a letter," She replied.

"And just what did you expect this letter would achieve? Besides angering them?" Draco asked sharply.

"Exactly that. It would anger them, lead to mistakes, and maybe a break in the case," she said passionately. She didn't think she did anything wrong, though she wished she hadn't had to go behind their backs.

"They're not going to make a mistake; they're going to kill you!" Draco bellowed. "And then they're going to kill everyone you care about."

Hermione opened her mouth to reply, but she was interrupted before she had a chance.

"Enough!" Ginny shouted, "Malfoy, you are making a bigger deal of this than it calls for, Mione, you need to realize that whether or not you intended it, your actions have increased the danger we are all in. It's done and we can't change it, so stop fighting about it, and face the consequences. If you would like to continue this fight please put up a silencing charm," she said, and stormed out, presumably to check on the children. Harry quickly followed his irate wife, hoping to calm her down.

A tense silence fell over the room as the couple glared at each other. Hermione wordlessly cast a silencing charm, knowing the discussion wasn't over.

"If you're so worried for your own skin then why don't you just leave?" Hermione asked.

"You know I can't leave…" He said quietly.

"Oh yes, you wouldn't want to risk your precious job," She shot back crossly.

He looked even angrier than before if that was possible, but there was something else mixed in. Hurt.

"I don't care about the job anymore. I care about you!" He exclaimed emphatically.

She opened her mouth to reply, but couldn't find her voice.

"You've grown reckless Hermione," he continued, "We are no longer at war. Such desperate measures aren't called for."

"It's one stupid article, it's not a desperate act. I'm just trying to draw them out." She explained, ignoring his admission for the time being.

"This isn't the first time you've acted without regard for your own safety," he replied slowly, knowing she wouldn't like hearing that.

If there was one thing she hated above all else it was being treated like a child, which is exactly what Malfoy was doing. She wasn't an idiot, she knew her actions had consequences, but she also knew that she could handle those consequences. It was nice that he cared for her, but did he really have to speak to her that way?

Her face softened as she realized what she just thought. He cared for her. How could she be mad at him for caring? Yes, she thought she was in the right, and she hated being spoken to like a child, but wouldn't she have reacted the same way? He _cared. _That meant something. With this thought all the fight left her.

"Malfoy…" She sighed, "Draco… I don't want to fight anymore. And I didn't mean what I said earlier; I don't want you to leave."

He sighed, "I don't want to leave, but I can't watch you deliberately put yourself in danger."

He always knew that she would be a tough case. Even at Hogwarts she often did what needed to be done to keep others safe without thinking of herself. Selflessness was a good trait to possess, but in her case it was going to get her killed. Even when he hated her he didn't want her dead, and now…well now that feeling was much stronger.

"But don't you feel how close we are? All we need is to catch them in one mistake and this will all be over."

"These Death Eaters are different than the ones we dealt with before. They're more calculating and conniving, they may not make a mistake like you hope they do. We might make the mistake first. Either way, promise you'll be more careful from now on, because I won't stand by and watch you get yourself killed."

"I promise," she responded and paused before continuing "and I understand if you would like to go back to the way things were before… when you were just a bodyguard."

"Don't be daft Granger," he said softly, stepping closer and wrapping his arms around her waist. She curled into him, glad that no irreparable damage was done.

They had survived their first fight as a couple.

* * *

Trying to get back to normal after their fight, the couple made their way to the kitchen where they found pure chaos. James was wailing at the top of his lungs as Ginny tried to give him a bottle, Harry was cleaning up a large puddle of milk and cereal as Teddy whimpered in his chair, his eyes full of tears. Hermione and Draco glanced at each other and slowly backed up, planning to leave the crying children to their parents, but they weren't fast enough. Ginny spotted them.

"Not so fast you two, this is your fault after all," she admonished.

"We don't want to get in your way," Hermione said quickly.

"I have half a mind to leave the kids with you and go back to bed," Ginny said, making it clear that they were not going to escape from the crying children. Harry finally looked up, having successfully cleaned the floor and Teddy of milk and cereal. He clearly thought Ginny had an excellent idea.

"No!" Hermione all but shouted, "I mean, no need for that. How about I make some breakfast? Teddy, do you like pancakes?"

"Yes!" The six year old exclaimed, his face brightening. Hermione quickly got to work making the pancakes before anything else could go wrong.

"So have you two made up? Or should we prepare for a shouting match during breakfast?" Ginny asked bluntly, once she finally got James settled down.

"Everything's fine," Hermione said as she poured a cup of coffee. She handed it to an appreciative Draco and absentmindedly brushed his shoulder affectionately as she walked back to the stove. This move was not missed by anyone.

"I see," Ginny stated slowly. She couldn't stay silent any longer, "So how long have you two been together?"

Hermione froze mid pancake flip and Draco almost spit out his coffee. Harry looked up interestedly, loving his brazen wife.

"What makes you say that?" Draco asked, being the first to recover.

"Well for starters she made your coffee like she makes it every day, and then there was that shoulder brush, not to mention your reaction to the letter," she replied, smirking slightly.

"I always make his coffee if I'm preparing breakfast, it's polite, and I bumped into his shoulder a bit. That doesn't mean anything," she said, hoping Ginny would buy it. She wasn't sure if she was ready for anyone to know. It was kind of fun being in a secret relationship. Not to mention that it was Draco Malfoy, and he wasn't their favorite person.

"Then why is he wearing 'your' pajama pants?" Harry asked nonchalantly, using air quotes around the word "your".

Draco groaned as Hermione opened and closed her mouth, trying to think of something to say. She hadn't even noticed that those were the same ones that Harry found in her bedroom. She was surprised he didn't say anything sooner.

"You told him these were yours?" Draco asked her, amazed at the fact that their getting caught came down to pajama pants.

"He saw them in my room and asked about them. I was under pressure, what was I supposed to say?"

"You could have at least told me not to wear them," he said.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I was slightly distracted by the people who vandalized my home," she said facetiously.

Suddenly Harry and Ginny burst out laughing. The new couple turned to them, distracted from their spat.

"You two can't even admit to your relationship without arguing," Ginny said between giggles. Hermione started laughing at the ridiculousness too, and even Draco smiled.

"Really, I want to know. How long has this been going on? Before or after New Year's Eve?" Ginny asked curiously.  
"I doubt I could keep it secret for that long," Hermione stated, "it started on Valentine's Day." She flipped another pancake.

It was silent for a moment as Harry and Ginny looked at each other. Harry looked triumphant.

"Pay up," He said gloatingly, holding out a hand. Ginny groaned and summoned three galleons.

"You were betting on us?" Draco and Hermione asked incredulously, in unison.

"Yes," Harry said sheepishly. "After we saw you at the ministry ball on New Year's Eve Ginny said she thought you were a secret couple. I said you weren't yet but would be soon, so we made a bet on it."

"It's nice to know that my life gives you such amusement," Hermione said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. She set a stack of pancakes in the center of the table and sat down as everyone grabbed some.

"Personally I don't care that you bet on us, but are we really only worth three galleons?" Draco asked. "I would have thought at least ten."

"Yes, well, we aren't all rich like you," Ginny said flippantly, but smiling.

"Yes you are. Well, Potter is, and you're his wife," he replied.

"What I should have said is we don't all throw money around like you do," she responded.

"It's a skill," he said smirking.

* * *

A few hours later Draco, Hermione, and Harry were sat in the library discussing their strategy for what to do next. Hermione thought she could reassemble most of her research if she was able to get new copies of the books, which she should hopefully be able to find fairly easily.

"You could owl McGonagall to ask if they have any of the books at Hogwarts," Draco suggested.

"Good idea, I'll do that as soon as we get home. Now, on to bigger matters, how are we going to trick the listening device and what should we say?" Hermione asked.

"I've already asked George to work on a way to trick the bug. He thinks he can rig it so that you can send it false information while still being able to speak freely, but he'll need another day or two to figure it out," Harry said.

"That would be perfect. Otherwise we'll have to be extremely careful of what we say, and it would be too easy to accidentally let something slip," Hermione agreed.

"I suppose we should go back to the flat and mention that we won't be back for a couple of days so they won't think it odd," Draco added. Hermione and Harry nodded in agreement.

"Hermione I was thinking about the letter that you wrote and I think I've come up with a way to use it to our advantage," Harry stated.

"Oh, really?" Hermione replied, raising one eyebrow at Draco as if to say _Maybe it wasn't such a big mistake after all._

"Well now that you basically called them all cowards for the whole wizarding community to see, I have a feeling that you've moved to number one on their enemy list and they are most likely working on plans to kill you or capture you," he continued.

"You're not planning to use her as bait," Draco said flatly. It was more of a statement than a question.

"Er…well, sort of. But she'll be safe. We'll just make them think that she'll be alone and vulnerable when in fact we'll be there the whole time. All we need to do is come up with a plausible reason for you to leave."

"Harry, that's brilliant!" Hermione exclaimed. Even if the leader didn't show up they may at least be able to gain information from whoever does come.

"I don't like the idea of using their bloodthirst for her to our advantage, but as long as we'll be there then I suppose I could say that I have to leave for a mission and refuse to let her come," Draco mused. He wasn't thrilled with the idea, but it was the only one they had, and as long as they had sufficient back up it shouldn't be too dangerous.

"I think that would work. I will discuss it with Kingsley during our meeting today," Harry said.

"Should I come with you?" Draco asked, "You're house is one of the safest places in Britain so I think it would be alright if I left for a while."

"When Kingsley flooed earlier he said he wanted to meet with me alone. I'm assuming he has a mission for me," Harry replied.

"I see," Draco said. This wasn't unusual. Kingsley often asked to meet alone if he was sending one of his Aurors on an undercover mission so there was less chance of an information leak.

The three of them continued to smooth out their plan well in to the afternoon until Harry had to leave for his meeting. Draco stayed in the library to reply to a letter from his mother, and Hermione joined Ginny and the kids in Teddy's playroom.

Teddy sat on the floor playing with his toy Quidditch set. He played with it so much that Hermione wondered if he would grow up to be a professional Quidditch player. Ginny sat in the rocking chair as James nodded off.

"I'm sorry about this morning," Hermione said apologetically, referring to the argument between her and Draco.

"It's alright, I understand. He's worried about you Mione, don't fault him for that," Ginny stated, knowing how stubborn and independent her friend was.

"I'm trying, Gin, I really am," she replied.

"I know you are, but we both know how you are; you never accept help from anyone. It isn't your responsibility to rid the world of all evil singlehandedly, you know. That's why you decided to become a journalist instead of an Auror. What I'm trying to say is that no one is asking you to solve this case on your own, in fact it isn't your responsibility to even work on it at all, so please no more reckless stunts like this one, and don't bite Malfoy's head off when he tries to protect you." She said gently, but firm.

"Ginny, for someone as brazen as you, you really know what to say to me. Who knew you could be so tactful?" Hermione joked. What Ginny said made complete sense to Hermione. She couldn't promise that none of this would happen again, but she could try.

"Shut it, you!" Ginny said playfully, laughing, "So tell me about Valentine's day. What happened? Who made the first move? Were you nervous?"

"Slow down. First of all, none of this was planned, or even thought of before that night, in fact it was all spur of the moment," She thought back to the night and she couldn't contain the smile that spread over her face, she didn't realize how much she had wanted to tell Ginny, "He took me to Paris! Paris, Gin! It was incredible, we had an amazing dinner at a restaurant that his family actually owns, and then we walked around muggle Paris and went to the Eiffel Tower. After some convincing on his part we went to the top of the tower. We were the only two up there, a bribe to the elevator attendant I suspect. The view was breathtaking, and I was overwhelmed by the whole night, so I kissed him. I think I was just as surprised as he was."

She grinned through the whole story, reliving the night in her mind. It really was perfect.

"So what happened next?" Ginny asked eagerly, "Is he a good kisser?"

"He's an excellent kisser. No one has ever kissed me the way he does. We were interrupted by other patrons though, so we quickly apparated home. I kissed him one last time before I lost the nerve and then escaped to my bedroom. In the morning we decided, after some awkward moments, that we would give whatever this is a try," she said in conclusion. Sometimes she forgot what it was like to have girl time and chat about things that don't include the end of the world. It was nice to be normal for once.

"Oh, Mione, that's wonderful. Who knew? You and Malfoy. I can honestly say I never saw that one coming, until recently that is" she said, whispering so Teddy wouldn't hear, "One last question and then I'll leave you alone. Have you slept together? And if so, are the rumors true?"

"No, not yet. We are taking it slow, much to his chagrin I'm sure, but it's for the best. I don't want to rush into anything just yet," she replied. They had only been together for about two weeks, and before that they hated each other. Sleeping together now would only complicate things if something went wrong, she thought, it's best to wait a little while longer.

"But you'll let me know when you do, right?"

Hermione laughed, "Like I could keep it a secret if I tried. You seem to have a sixth sense about these things."

The girls were still laughing when Draco walked in.

"Granger, we should go to the flat now," he said awkwardly, getting the impression that they had been talking about him, and Ginny was giving him the strangest look.

She said goodbye to Ginny and followed him out of the room.

"Why was she looking at me like that?" he asked as soon as they were out of earshot.

"Like what?" Hermione asked.

"Like I was a stuffed bear that she wanted to hug forever," he responded.

Hermione started laughing, "It could have something to do with the fact that I told her about Valentine's day,"

"You can't tell her those things. If she knows I do nice things then my bad boy image is ruined forever," he said, crestfallen, "I guess I'll have to do something especially terrible now to get it back."

"The bad boy image was all in your head anyway," she responded teasingly, putting her hand on his shoulder consolingly.

"You know that's not true. I was the bad boy of Hogwarts and all the girls wanted me,"

"They only wanted your money," she teased.

He stopped dead in his tracks.

"I thought it was my devilish good looks and sex appeal,"

"Nah, just the money," she replied.

"Is that so?" he asked playfully.

"Mmhmm," she responded.

Suddenly he had her pinned up against the wall and was kissing her so passionately that her knees buckled. He ran his hands up her sides, pressing against her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, kissing him ferociously, and completely forgetting that she was in the kitchen of Grimmauld place, where anyone could walk in. He abruptly ended the kiss and pulled away leaving her breathing heavily.

"Definitely more than the money," he said confidently. He grabbed a handful of floo powder and was gone before she even caught her breath. It took her a moment to remember what she was supposed to be doing, but once she did she quickly followed. Draco had a smirk on his face when she came through the floo.

She smiled lightly and then immediately went into serious mode, she wanted to be done here as quickly as possible. She didn't like the idea of having to be so careful with what she said, but it had to be done.

"I really don't think this is necessary," she said, "It will be fine to stay here."

"Granger, some extra precaution won't hurt, especially after your stunt with the newspaper," he said, somewhat bitter at the end. Hermione wondered if that was real or not.

"I think you and Harry are being overprotective," she countered.

"Be that as it may, the Aurors still need to figure out how they got past the wards in the first place, and it will be easier if we aren't here. So let's gather our things and go," he said. It was true that the Aurors needed more time to figure out how the Death Eaters got in and how the listening devices were placed, but it wasn't necessarily true that they needed to be out of the apartment for that.

They each grabbed a few more nights' worth of clothes.

"Only a couple more days right? I'll not let a cowardly Death Eater force me out of my home," Hermione said as they were leaving.

"Let's just go," Draco said, consciously ignoring her last comment.

When they arrived back to Grimmauld Place they found Harry waiting for them in the kitchen.

"Hermione, can I have a word with you, privately?" He asked. He looked worried. Hermione glanced at Draco and nodded lightly, he left the room. She knew Harry very well and knew that something must be wrong for him to act like this. Immediately her thoughts went to her parents. Had the death eaters attacked them in retaliation?

"Harry, you're worrying me, what's the matter?" she asked, concerned.

"It's about Malfoy," he stated solemnly.

* * *

Uh oh! What is Harry going to say? Maybe Malfoy was born a girl. Maybe he's been dead this whole time and Hermione's been shacking up with an imposter. Maybe Harry is in love with him and wants him for himself. Maybe he lost all of his money gambling on ant races. Guess you'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out! Please review. I'd love to hear any theories you have on the story.


	21. Suspicions

Still Fighting It – Suspicions

"What is it about Malfoy?" Hermione asked Harry, "If this is some overprotective big brother thing then you really don't need to worry."

"It's not about that," he said. He paused as he searched for the words. Hermione could tell that what he said next wouldn't be something she liked hearing, "As you know, I spoke with Kingsley today. He told me that they figured out how the Death Eaters got into your flat. You're not going to like this, but all of the wards were down Hermione, and they had been for a while. The team decided that the only way the wards could have been taken down for that long without being noticed is if it came from inside the flat."

He looked at her meaningfully, waiting for her to catch on to what he was implying. She being Hermione, he didn't have to wait long.

"What are you saying, Harry? That Malfoy did it? That he's secretly the head of the Death Eaters? That's preposterous," She exclaimed. There was absolutely no way that Draco was behind this. For one thing, she was with him all of the time, and as far as she knew, he couldn't be in two places at once.

"That's what I said, but the evidence adds up. All of the people who have been killed were people we went to school with, except Andromeda who was a traitor to his family. Blaise is his best friend which would explain why he was the only one who wasn't killed. The Diagon Alley attack began as soon as he separated from you. We only have his word that the Lestrange's were spotted in France seeing as he's the only one who could recognize them. He could easily have left and killed Seamus, set the scene at the manor and then come wake you up. Lastly, the break in happened as soon as you started getting close to figuring something out, and he conveniently took you out, not to mention he could be having other people do his bidding."

She let what Harry said sink in for a moment. It was all true, yet it didn't feel right. It seemed to add up too perfectly. If she was going to doubt him now was the moment, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She wasn't quite sure, but she just knew that he couldn't be the one behind all of this.

"Harry, tell me you don't believe this? Do you really think he's capable of such terrible things?" she asked, disbelieving, "You're forgetting that he saved my life twice during the Diagon Alley attack, and that his own mother was attacked at the manor. Everything he has ever done has been to protect me and stop these Death Eaters from doing any more harm. He was also with me when Andromeda was killed. It's not him,"

"I'm not saying that I think it is, I'm telling you that's what Kingsley and the other Aurors are beginning to think," Harry said emphatically.

"How can they even think that? After all the good he's done while working there? " Hermione asked, frustrated. He had proven himself so many times, and it was so clear to her that this was exactly what the Death Eaters were hoping for.

"The evidence is compelling and it keeps piling up,"

"That's what the Death Eaters want. We said they were trying to make him look guilty by using a glamour charm to look like him in France. Has Kingsley already forgotten this? I can't believe he's falling for it," she exclaimed, angrily.

"They think that he would do it to lead the trail away from him because it would be so obvious that no one would suspect him." Harry said.

That didn't make much sense to her. If he was guilty why would he lead them straight to him? No one would do that, it was too risky. Apparently the ministry was just as blind as ever.

"They seem to be quite convinced. Are they taking any action against him?" she asked, worriedly.

"Believe me when I say I brought up every argument that you did, but they had a rebuttal for everything. They aren't taking any action as of now, but he is at the top of their suspect list. They wanted me to come to you and request that you report any suspicious behavior, and they want me to keep an eye on the two of you to make sure you're safe."

"You really don't think that he has anything to do with this?" she asked, hopefully. She was so sure, but it would be better if she had someone on her side.

"No, of course not. He was a prat at school, but he doesn't have this kind of evil in him. And I trust your judgment more than anyone's, so if you say he's safe then I know he is." He replied.

"Thank you Harry." She said, hugging him.

Breaking apart he said, "We'll need to work especially hard to come up with evidence that proves his innocence. To start with I'll need a list of anyone who's been in your apartment in the past few months."

"That will be tough. It could have been anyone, even the pizza delivery guy for all we know."

"It's just a starting point. If we can come up with anyone else who would have been able to take those wards down then we can start to plant doubt in their theory."

"What I want to know is how we didn't know the wards were down?" Hermione asked.

"That's why the Aurors say they were taken down from inside. The only way it could have been done is if someone had entered the flat with permission at one time, making it so the wards recognized them so that they could return and remove the wards without alerting you."

"Well then we know it's not Rabastan or Rodolphus," She said, "but that doesn't narrow it down much."

"Our other main suspect is Evan Stark, and we are starting to think that it may be someone in our age group, particularly someone who was at Hogwarts with us."

Hermione was surprised that she hadn't realized this before. Most of the deaths were people she went to school with, why wouldn't the killer be too? It was widely known at school that Seamus was a halfblood, Dennis Creevey a muggleborn, and Astoria a pureblood.

"That makes sense. Whoever is doing this is trying awfully hard to make Draco look guilty, is there anyone you can think of from school who might want to get some sort of revenge on him?

"Does Ron count?" She asked jokingly. Harry looked like he was trying to decide between laughing or defending Ron.

Hermione saved him the trouble, "I'm just kidding, Ron has done some idiotic things, but would never do anything like that."

"How about we ask Malfoy if there is anyone who he thinks would try to frame him?" Harry suggested.

"But don't tell him that the ministry is suspicious of him," Hermione stated, "he's worked too hard to gain their trust, we should at least try to clear his name before he finds out. I will go talk to him and make the list of everyone who has been in my flat."

She gave him another quick hug and went up to her room where she found Draco waiting for her.

"Is everything alright?" He asked as she walked through the door.

"Yes, Harry just wants us to make a list of everyone who has been in the flat in the last few months. He also suggested that you make a list of anyone who was at school with us that may want to get revenge on you."

"And why are we making these lists?" He asked inquisitively.

Hermione sighed, "The wards were taken down from the inside, so it had to be someone who had permission to enter at one time."

"And the other list?" He asked, starting to get an idea of what was going on.

"The Aurors have begun to think that whoever is behind all of this may have gone to school with us, and since they are clearly trying to make you look guilty, Harry and I figured your enemies would be a good place to start."

"I see," he said, but he could tell there was something else that she wasn't telling him. He would leave it alone for now, but not for long.

"I haven't an idea of who it could be though. Hardly anyone comes over," she started, "I specifically included you, Harry, Ginny, and Ron in the wards, everyone else has had verbal permission to enter, but there aren't many others. Since we started working together the only other people who have come by are Neville and Luna."

"Pansy and Blaise came over once," Draco reminded her, thinking of when the duo came over for dinner several weeks ago, before Pansy went back to France.

"Ah yes, you're right. The rest are just delivery- wait! Deliverymen! When we first started working together but before you moved in, Evan came by one night to give me something for work.

"And you let him in?" Draco asked incredulously.

He was their number one suspect of Death Eater involvement. So far the Aurors that were tailing him hadn't found anything, but there was definitely something off putting about him.

"I didn't think it odd because he had done it so many times before and we didn't even suspect him at that point." She said defensively.

"Put him at the top of the list, he's the first person we need to check out. We should also look into the restaurants we order take out from often. If someone is watching us then they'll know our habits and could easily enchant the deliveryman." Draco stated.

Hermione quickly added Evan and the restaurants to the list. She set that list aside for the time being to get started on the other one. She desperately wanted to prove Draco's innocence before he found out about Kingsley's suspicions of him.

"Let's start on your list. Do you have any enemies from school?" She asked.

"Just you, Potter, and Weasley," he replied. She opened her mouth to reply, but he cut her off.

"Granger, I've figured it out! You're seducing me to gain my trust and then you're going to frame me for murder," he said scandalously.

She laughed, "How did you ever figure out my genius plan?"

"Well let me tell you something, it won't work," he said somberly, "I am much too intelligent to fall for it."

"I think you've already fallen for it," she replied teasingly.

"You're right," he said, but his tone was no longer in jest. Clearly he was implying something much different, but neither one of them was quite ready for that conversation. He cleared his throat, and the moment was gone.

"In all seriousness, there are a lot of people from school who dislike me. Many of the Slytherins felt that I got off too easy, especially those that had to serve time in Azkaban."

"Who?"

"Theodore Nott for one. He was discovered to be a Death Eater during the final battle. It wasn't proven that he killed anyone but he had the mark and had taken it of his own volition so he was given the minimum sentence of three years in Azkaban. We were there together while I was awaiting my trial, and there was a growing animosity coming from him. Marcus Flint was another. We didn't know each other well at school but I know he resented me for getting away without punishment. He got out of Azkaban about a year and a half ago. Millicent Bulstrode also hates me. That woman is outright insane. She used to spew all the Dark Lords propaganda so passionately that it even made the rest of us Slytherins uncomfortable, and after I turned her down in sixth year she really started to hate me."

Hermione listened as Draco listed off all of the people who held grudges against him. By the time he was done, it was close to midnight and there were eight serious suspects on the list of 14, several of which she knew.

She yawned and stood up, "I'll give these lists to Harry tomorrow, I think we're all too tired to discuss it tonight."

He nodded in agreement.

"Hopefully this will all be over soon," she said assuredly, though neither knew who she was trying to reassure.

"It will," he said, kissing her lips lightly before going to his own room.

She sighed and started getting ready for bed. She didn't understand how anyone who knew him could actually suspect him. He tried so hard to do the right thing, but it seemed that he couldn't escape his past. She was ashamed to admit that she questioned his loyalties at one time as well, but that seemed so long ago now. She tried to push it out of her mind and get some sleep.

After hours of tossing and turning she finally fell asleep, but it was filled with nightmares. She dreamt of the war and Hagrid carrying Harry's dead body, but as he laid him down he changed to Draco. She screamed in her dream and ran to him, and when she got to him she saw that he wasn't dead at all. She threw herself on him weeping tears of joy, but when she pulled away his face was hard. He looked at her and said "It was me all along,". The next thing she saw was a bolt of green light leave his wand. The light was hurting toward her and she knew she was going to die.

"Hermione!" she heard a distant voice call. She heard it again, and woke with a gasp. Draco sat on the edge of the bed, his hand on her shoulder.

"You were having a nightmare," he said.

He rubbed her back soothingly as she fought to catch her breath. The dream left her mind as soon as she woke up, and all she remembered was a flash of green light and the vice like grip of fear.

"I couldn't sleep and heard you whimpering from down the hall. Are you alright now?"

"Y-yes, I'm fine," she replied shakily. She moved over as he wordlessly climbed into bed with her. The nightmares had been getting worse as the stress of the case grew. She was beginning to worry that she would have to dip into her supply of dreamless sleep potion, but hoping she could avoid it. The potion made her head feel foggy and she needed all of her wits about her.

She laid her head on Draco's chest, and slowly started to relax and let sleep overtake her again. Draco stayed with her through the night, though they both slept fitfully.

* * *

The morning came bright and early. It was a beautiful day, though the inhabitants of 12 Grimmauld Place didn't feel it. There was a lot of work to be done to prepare for the trap they were setting for the Death Eaters, and to regain the information that had been lost. On top of that, Harry and Hermione were concerned about Draco, and Draco could tell something was going on between the two of them but had no idea what it was.

Hermione gave Harry the lists first thing in the morning and he immediately went in to the office to begin finding out what information he could. He alerted Kingsley to Evan's involvement, and began to look into the individuals on Draco's list. Theodore Nott had practically vanished after being released from Azkaban three years ago, Marcus Flint had continued to have some problems with the law after his release though nothing serious, and Millicent Bulstrode was still in the area and living off of her parents money with no criminal record. Harry found that this information wasn't as helpful as he hoped it might be, though he did think that the lack of information available about Theodore Nott was suspicious.

Draco and Hermione weren't having much better luck. They were currently in the Manor's library searching for any books that may contain the information that had been stolen. So far they had found a couple of mildly helpful books, but nothing substantial. Hermione had sent an owl to McGonagall asking if Hogwarts had any of the books they were looking for, but they only had a few. After hours of searching they were hardly better off than when they began.

The day was long and irritating for all. The only good thing to come of it was that George had discovered a way to trick the listening device. He essentially made it so that everything it picked up would be sent to him first and he would be able to send only what they wanted the Death Eaters to hear. This allowed Draco and Hermione to speak freely without giving away their plan. Unfortunately, the only way this could be achieved was if George was available at all times to listen in and edit, so it could only be used short term. After much debate it was decided that they would set the trap for tomorrow.

The three of them met with the other Aurors and solidified the plan. Draco and Harry would remain in the apartment with Hermione, while the others would be on standby. Kingsley didn't like the fact that Draco was so heavily involved, but Hermione was adamant that he be there or she wouldn't do it. She was determined to prove Kingsley wrong, and this seemed like a good place to start. Though she worried that no one would show up and it would only strengthen the suspicion against Draco, but she tried to keep that thought from her mind. There was a lot riding on this, and all she could do right now was hope that it would work.


End file.
